The last dance? Red Hot Mamas plan for Ireland St. Patrick’s Day parade could be the final hurrah

Laughter greets them from yards ahead. The Red Hot Mamas first flashed their smiles, zany costumes and goofy props across parades and stages 30 years ago – inspired by founder Claudia “Mikki” Stevens.

This week, the Coeur d’Alene-based group plans to send 10 members to perform March 17 in Limerick, Ireland, for the St. Patrick’s Festival Parade after three years of delays. Six women from a Texas “Mamas” satellite are scheduled to join them. It’s also a trip without Stevens, who retired Dec. 31 as the troupe’s leader for health reasons after 11 years of cancer and treatments.

Without Stevens’ creative drive, local members say the St. Patrick’s performance could mark the Red Hot Mamas’ last hurrah, although the Texas branch might continue.

Self-described as a musical-comedy group of vintage women, the troupe has graced three Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parades, three inaugural parades, multiple Northwest events, London New Year’s Day parade and the Fiesta and Holiday Bowl parades. With colorful costumes, sequins and hats holding humorous decor, they’ve danced to music and pushed props from brooms to shopping carts.

“This is the third time we’ve tried to get to Ireland for the parade in Limerick, first scheduled March 2020 when the pandemic started,” said Pam Ames, a north Spokane resident leading the Ireland trip. “We were going to go up until everything closed down just days, if not the day before, we were supposed to leave.

“A lot of us were going, including me, for the next year and again we found out this is not going to work, so we lost quite a few. Now, we’re down to a pretty small number.”

Recent practices were split between Spokane and Post Falls because about half traveling live in Spokane. Stevens has sent encouraging notes before the scheduled departure Friday along with her hope that someone would lead the group beyond March. So far, that’s uncertain.

Stevens declined to be interviewed, saying she didn’t want any recognition. She wrote to the group, “It is possible (Ames) might choose to lead RHM into 2022, but this will not be addressed until all the Mama Charmers return from Ireland.”

However, Ames said she can’t see herself filling Stevens’ dancing shoes beyond Ireland, with that performance and costumes long prearranged.

“I don’t think it can continue like it was because Mikki put so much of her heart and soul into it, and it was so much of her,” Ames said.

“I don’t know that I have the time and energy for that. She put a lot into it, so I have a hard time imagining it going on. I think Texas is – their little group wants to keep going – and their director is a professional dancer and instructor. I have none of that background.

“Mikki figured out the costumes and the dance routines. I mean, every part of it she was a part of and had it in her head, then she’d have committees to take care of it, but it was her imagination. She’d always say that God inspired her with things.”

But Ames said the group is known for overcoming obstacles. Stevens had stopped before, for about three years around 2013 because of cancer, she said.

“During this time when she kind of shut down the Red Hot Mamas, Macy’s actually got a hold of her and said, ‘We’d really like you to be back in the parade,’ ” Ames said.

“It kind of got her up and going again, so they did the parade in 2014. She regathered everybody. It was cool that they came out to Coeur d’Alene to talk to her and to schmooze her. They flew somebody out.”

Stevens confirmed in an email that Macy’s “creative producer, Wesley Whatley, came to CdA and took me out to dinner. We strolled along Sherman with snowflakes falling gently … one of those perfect CdA winter evenings. Shopped at Figpickels for his New York friends and bought fudge as we conversed.”

Macy’s has asked again. “They love us and invited us for the 2022 parade. Oh how I wish …”

The Mamas last went to the Macy’s parade in 2017. Ames said Stevens is now in remission, “but her immune system is still very weak.” The Ireland group plans a tribute.

“You know how you can make the little poster heads of people like at games of player heads they’ll hold up?” Ames said. “She did allow me to make one of those that we can put on our sound cart that’s going to have our speakers on it, so she can kind of be with us.”

Stevens was involved for the group’s performance video in President Joe Biden’s virtual inauguration parade. Previously, they’d gone to the nation’s capital in 2001 and 2005 for the George W. Bush inaugurations.

Multiple regional appearances have endeared them to fans here, from the Lilac Festival Armed Forces Torchlight Parade to performances for local assisted-living centers and charities. With ages ranging from 18 to 90, but most in their 50s to mid-70s, many “Mamas” have survived health issues, joint replacements and family deaths.

Stevens launched the nonprofit troupe in 1991 after she and her husband, Dennis, moved back to their Coeur d’Alene hometown. By high school, she was an orchestra player, twirler, cheerleader and “drama queen.”

By her 40s, Stevens had lived in California and Alaska. She’d been a dancer, fitness trainer, bodybuilder and actress. She voiced the cartoon teenage voice of Pebbles Flintstone.

Returning here, Stevens wanted to create a humorous entertainment and community service troupe for women to dress up, dance, sing, hug and “wear too much makeup.” The motto is “dedicated to the exploitation of merriment and the enhancement of the ridiculous,” said 25-year member Karen Welts of Coeur d’Alene.

Welts first saw the Mamas in a hometown parade. She later sent a donation, and after, a member urged her to join.

“I didn’t have the confidence that I could do that, so I declined, but a few months later after persistent phone calls from one of the members, I went to a rehearsal,” she said. “Then, the rest is history.

“It’s been educational, a barrel of fun, inspiring, and it’s stretched me beyond what I thought possible as far as performing not only in parades but a number of stage performances over the years.”

Deep friendships formed. For the 2001 inaugural parade, “This town, Coeur d’Alene, was so excited. We opened the opportunity to go to this parade to any woman in Coeur d’Alene. We ended up with about 80 members that month, and we had a month to practice.

“The city just came out in droves and donated for us to go, and it ended up that enough money was raised that every woman was able to go, paid for completely, with the exception of their food money or spending money.”

Welts, who isn’t going to Ireland, also said the Red Hot Mamas of this region might go dark after this next performance if a leader doesn’t step forward. She said it is Stevens’ touch behind stretching the members’ talents.

“Those kinds of things Mikki worked with and taught and developed in each of us,” Welts said. “It’s just been something so many women look back on.

“I think it is pretty much over unless someone wants to step forward and continue on managing it. Mikki’s health is not good, so I think this is a time for her to step back. To me, there’s not much that surpasses what I’ve been able to experience over the 25 years.”

Members heard widespread laughter as they performed, she said. Audience members shared stories.

“I remember in London, we performed not only in the parade, but we got to perform for an evening for the lord mayors’ reception,” she said.

“One of the women, a lord mayor of one of the boroughs there, came up to Mikki afterwards and said, ‘I thought my stepping down from being a lord mayor was the end of everything, and now I see there are other possibilities.’ That was heartwarming.”

Another woman who saw the London parade told them that after seeing their lighthearted fun, her husband was treating her better. “It just blew our mind to hear that we touched people in any other way other than just laughter.

“Most of us are of a Christian faith. Something people didn’t know about us is before every performance and every parade, we form a circle and pray for each other and for the audience. We don’t require it of anyone, and we don’t look down on anyone if they chose not to participate in prayer; it’s just something we did.”

Ames, a Carol Burnett and Lucille Ball fan, found a balance to 22 years as a police dispatch supervisor. Now, she works for Gonzaga University security.

“I thought, this group is just up my alley, dressing really silly and making people smile,” Ames said. “I was so elated to join that I didn’t care about driving an hour one way to get to rehearsals.”

Ames said because Stevens is such a pro – precise on choreography and costumes – it could sometimes seem intense. But the shows were all about fun.

“She made us look as professional as possible. She’d use any little talent we had from high school – did we twirl the baton or tap dance? – and go with it. If you’re more of a dancer or more of a character, she’d use everybody.”

On performance day, Stevens always told them, “just enjoy yourself, enjoy the moment,” Ames said.

“Even after a parade, she’d say take 10 minutes and just take in the moment and enjoy that you’re getting to do this. I feel really blessed that I got to experience that.”