“Arrivaderci Roma” begins blaring from the float’s speakers, and the white-haired Guardian, wearing brown wingtips and a neon yellow raincoat, starts leading the procession south.Ītlantic City mayor Don Guardian passes the Revel Casino, which was heralded as a sign of revitalisation when it opened in 2012 but shut its doors in September. Though the promenade is quiet this blustery October Saturday, parade organisers motion for a handful of vehicles to fall in line. For 30 years, casinos created a veneer of glitz and glamour along its seaside boardwalk. This town of about 40,000 has a long history of keeping up appearances. “Like it’s sunny and it’s beautiful and you want to be here.” Guardian poses with the group for pictures in front of a float bearing Italian and American flags.
The fast-talking 61-year-old shakes hands with one wearing a tiara and sash reading “Miss Columbus”, from a beauty pageant to celebrate its namesake’s arrival in North America. Drops of water patter against the town’s wooden boardwalk as Mayor Don Guardian approaches four young women shivering in gowns.
