Jamel Workman, founder and hatter of Dandy Headdress, participated in his first Easter promenade as a contest judge. Wearing a custom hat he made inspired by the Mad Hatter from “Alice in Wonderland,” he said it was great to see the tradition firsthand.
“You see this in the neighborhoods when you wake up on Sunday morning, you’ll see everybody coming out [of] their house on Easter dressed in their finest,” Workman said. “But to have it all in one place and have a contest for the best dressed in different categories, that’s really fun.”
Cynthia Young-Nelson has been bringing generations of her family to South Street for the holiday for more than 20 years. Over time, she has built a community around the tradition and keeps in touch with people she’s met along the way.
“We get to hug each other and talk about how the year went,” Young-Nelson said. “We celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, our savior. Then after this, I go visit other family members … we have our Sunday dinner.”