Steady rain and dropping temperatures at noon weren’t enough to dampen spirits at Sunday’s West Side Market Parade…although they did manage to close down much of the street fair until later in the day, when the showers finally abated. In the spirit of gonzo journalism, we embedded ourselves deep into the action, marching in the parade with Cleveland food writer Marilou Susko and her group of babushka-clad “shoppers,” in a place of honor right behind the market vendors.
Susko, who has co-authored a soon-to-debut history of the West Side Market with fellow food writer Laura Taxel, says the idea of adding a crew of marching babas to the parade originally started as a joke made during a planning session. “But everyone loved the idea,” she said from beneath her own colorful headgear. “And here we are.”
This article appears in Oct 3-9, 2012.