Remmick-Hubert Special Page - Lodi Union High School, Class of 1960-Newsletter
Vol.10: 29 May 2003
Grape and Wine Festival & Parades
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The Kiddies Parade occurred on Saturday and the adult one was on
Sunday afternoon.
In the Kiddies Parades, I remember marching around showing off our costumes. I made mine and the judges didn't notice me and I quickly realized that some of the kids had the help of their parents. I tried one or two more years of my own creations. Finally, I made up my mind that I would win. With great determination, I talked my mother into making me a pioneer woman's dress with bonnet. Don't recall the year. Talked one of my friends, Emery Leple, into joining me. His mother found / made him a costume to match the pioneer theme. Emery's Dad, who was a foreman at a local winery, found us some large signs that were huge wine bottles, which we carried. I think we stuffed a wagon full of grapes and pulled it behind us... but that part of the memory is a bit hazy. We were picked as one of the winners..... We were two happy kids. Anyone have any idea when the first Grape and Wine Festival Parades began? In 1907 the Tokay Carnival occurred from 19 to 21 Sept. with the completion of the Lodi Archway. A parade did occur. |
Was there a carnival or a parade before this time? I don't know. Did the carnival and parade continue after 1907? No. Circumstances seem to hinder either a carnival or a parade. One of the events was the Great War [W.W. I]... There was a Soldiers Parade in 1918..... Men were being killed and no one felt like arranging a carnival.... The Spanish Flu took lives and people were too frighten to be in groups... 4 June 1919 there was a Victory parade for the men who came home.... Followed by prohibition. No wine and the locals were facing possible ruin but it turned out that quite the opposite occurred. The new law allowed medicinal "nonintoxication" wine of 200 gallons per household plus the sacramental wine for religious rites. Prohabition was lifted in 1933.... One would think it was time for a carnival. No. The workers had unionized and were asking for 40 cents a hour before they'd touch a grape..... After all had calm down and the grapes were picked a party was thrown..... Ahhhh, yes, we're getting close to the second carnival after 1907.... During the Mustachio Club" party it was announced they were going to begin a fund raiser that would make it possible for a carnival the following Sept. There would be parades, vaudeville shows, dance and card games. The three-day Grape Festival occurred 7 to 9 Sept. 1934 in Lodi, California, USA. All was a success and the annual event continued.... It became known as the Lodi Grape Festival.
My folks and I lived on 303 Elm St. which is a corner apartment building. The parade came toward our place [east] then at the corner turned north toward the festival grounds which passed the old [Hale] park. Because our apartment windows and balcony were perfect to view the parade, all of our relatives and friends would visit us. The adults would remain upstairs munching on all the food my mother always prepared for us. Myself and the other children [cousins and friends] sat on the cement curb and watched the people, cars, horses, and floats [most of them drawn by horses in the earlier years that I remember] passing....
I remember Mr. Lock King who always was in the parade [1937 to 1961] in his marvelous and colorful Chinese costume. Exception were the years between 1940 to 1945 when there wasn't a parade due to W.W. II.
In 1945 I would have been three years old..... My Dad was still wearing his Navy Whites [uniform] in '45.... His brother, Raymond, was wearing his Army uniform and another brother, Elmer, was in his Marine uniform.... My mother's brother, Eddie, was in the Army and was still in Tokyo ....
From 1945 to 1960 the parades blend all together in my mind. It was in 1961 my husband I had moved to Albany because he was attending UC. . I think I took my older son, Douglas, to one parade when he was small.... He didn't find it very interesting.... Perhaps he was too young.... Maybe. And, too, times were changing. The young generation were not isolated with the world brought into our homes via the television's programs which made a small hometown parade seem dull.
Why is it that every time I think of it being dull in Lodi, I think of the words to that song which rang across the USA: "Stuck in Lodi, again."
Things I do remember more vividly were all the local school bands each in their own "block" of space with their music pouring out of them despite the heat for it always was hot ...... The one college band there may have been UOP [University of the Pacific]. By favorites were the animals ... The large "block" of horses, who clip-clomped passed, were my favorite. Sometimes they left more than their hoof marks in the soft asphalt and one would hear the honk and whistles of the clowns escorting these animals and with quick action the clowns with their shovels, brooms and oversized dust pan cleaned up the warm steaming manure. I loved the Palominos all decked out in silver laden saddles.... Roy Rogers horse, Trigger, was a Palomino, if you remember. The float with the high back that looked like a white clam shell always held the Festival Queen's throne where our own Class of 1960 was Queen Elvera Thornsberry who would sit on the float throne in the autumn of 1960. Around the base of the float were the queen's attendants.... From what I understand, the first festival queen in the year 1907 was Bertha D. Almado who later became Mrs. Clark .
The last vehicle in the parade, I think, was a firetruck, later police cars, and once that was spotted, we'd run up stairs, asked for some money and head toward the fairgrounds. There was buildings full of displays but we'd bypass the buildings and head for the carnival grounds with a huge ferris wheel, merry-go-around, food vendors, hawkers shouting about the side shows, the contraption with this tall tower with a bell and top and a place to hit with this huge hammer which was far too heavy for us little kids to pick up....
I remember one of these visits to the carnival grounds . I had just bought a hot dog and was placing a mustard smeared napkin in the trash between booths when I noticed a dirty and poorly dressed boy who was about my age, not more than eight or nine, peeling potatoes behind the booth. He looked so very exhausted and near him was a huge stack of potatoes. A woman's voice bellowed from inside the booth to the boy, "Get to work, boy, people are waiting!" The word "boy" sounded degroatory. My father had once remarked he hated being called "boy". I think that was the first time I realize that these carnival people had children who worked hard to survive. I had, also, heard that the carnival people were a "bad lot" and never should be trusted. To me, at that moment, the boy looked a victim of this "bad lot". There was a movie called "Carousel" which enforced our prejudices of the carnival people. And, too, we all discovered the carnival booth with the toy guns that was given to us to shoot down ducks were fixed and very few of us ever won a stuffed animal which were usually the prize. I did win a small glass bowl with a very small goldfish with those wooden hoops....
Since I had very limited funds for games or rides, I usually chose the rides. One of the must-do rides were the bumper cars. However, we wouldn't waste our money on this ride unless there was a bunch of kids we knew. It wasn't fun bumping into cars with strangers.
The ferris wheel ride I usually saved for the hours after it drew dark because I liked seeing all the lights of the carnival from the top of the rotation of the wheel. No one wanted to be the ones who ended up at the top when the man stopped and started the wheel to let on or off passengers. If you were then it was a duty for the people to scream as if full of fear. I hate heights but I endured it on a ferris wheel that drew me, I feared, like a moth to fire.
No one today would allow young children alone at a carnival like we were in the late 40s and early 50s. I recall adults being present but I don't recall them being a part of what we as children were doing.
I spent a lot of those hours watching people playing the games. I wanted to see if I could figure out how to beat the carnival pros at their games. But the carnival people were far too clever and I was no match for them. I only could assume the bean that was never under the cup one of the kids would pick had been moved after the cup was chosen. I assume their fingers were quick as a magicians and it was reafirmed in my mind that the carnival people were cheating all of us out of our pennies, nickels, dimes an quarters....
When I grew tired of the carnival, I'd head to the buildings and view every display with a critical eye. One would have thought I was one of the judges.
On Sunday night the Festival and carnival lights went out. I'd walk home, have a snack if I wasn't too full of junk [pink cotton candy....], then I'd fall into bed and before my head hit the pillow I was asleep. My dreams would place me upon a huge black horse [Black Beauty was my favorite story] and I'd be looking down at all the children sitting on the curb as I, my horse, and the others went passed them in the parade headed toward the fairgrounds.
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In a message dated 5/20/03 9:31:38 PM, wiser@inreach.com writes:
<< Hi Judy. I have been playing in the Cell Block 7 Jazz Band at the last 12 Grape Festivals. We roam around in the area of the food booths and play some old familiar Dixieland Tunes. We Play all four days. We have a lot of fun, and I do get a chance to see a lot of you there. Bring your horn. We allow sit-ins. Thank you Judy. Fred Spitzer >>
In a message dated 5/20/03 2:13:59 PM, JHugo18225 writes:
<<When I was about 4 or five years old I was dressed as a Clown for the KIDDIES PARADE. I may be able to locate the picture in my mother's photo album?
Jerry Hugo >>
In a message dated 5/23/03 1:55:41 PM, eaa@fidnet.com writes:
<< Those were the good old days. The Grape and Wine Festival. I remember watching the parade start with the Fly over of the Thunderbirds in their Saber jets. What a noise. That must have started me on my interest in Aviation.
I also remember waling in the Kiddies Day parade. It was neat. Only kids were in this parade. They would decorate their bikes, Wagon, and make small floats. No power tractors like we have now. We pulled everything or peddled it. I remember the time I entered my Pheasant in a cage. It was my wild animal. I had a hat with straight brim and round balls hanging from the edge. When we got to the Athletic field at the High School prizes were given out and we got ice cream. It melted very fast. That was the best time. I liked the kiddy parade better than the large parade.
But we grew up and when I got into the Band we would march in Wool uniforms in 95 degree weather for over 5 miles. That was fun too but what a work out. It was neat to play the new marches we learned starting in August. We would also get to go to the State Fair and play a concert at the band stand. It was hot there too.
The exhibits of the Grape murals was another high for me. How did they do that. I could not have done that with out eating about 50 lbs of grapes. They would have been short of grapes had I helped.
Remember my mind is very old and I am having a hard time remembering very many episodes in my early life. It was chock full of so many items that only the really memorial moments will surface. I will need to be under hypnoses to get any more memory out of this mind. Maybe some things are better left buried.
If my memory kicks back in I'll send more. These Senior moments only come every so often. I am fading away now. See ya later.
Clyde Ehrhardt>>
In a message dated 5/23/03 1:12:11 PM, Rmcoult continued to write:
As far as the Grape and Wine Festival, I can still remember the one in '60 or '59 where the Lawrence Welk Band came to play at the Grape Bowl. All of the stars came riding to the stage in open top convertibles. I was smitten with the Lennon Sisters and it was a real treat to see them. But the highlight had to be the part of the show where ladies in the audience could go down and dance with Lawrence Welk himself !!! I never saw anything like it !!! Those old gals about trampled one another pushing and shoving their way out of the stadium down to the stage. Quite a performance.
Rich Coulter
In a message dated 5/23/03 12:11:45 PM, FrenchyRock writes:
<< Judy - Always wanted to go to the Grape and Wine Festivals. Never ever got to. When I moved from Lodi area about 2 years, after married, to down south (Fresno area) it made it even harder to get to one of the events there.
Lodi (as well as Elk Grove/Wilton areas) were my two hometowns and I sure wished I could of made it to one of the events at Grape Festival.
I have a pic somewhere but can't lay my hands on it right now. But I had I guess what would be called a great aunt who was queen or an attendant on a float in late 1930's. Her name was Lucille Rocque. She just died recently in Vermont where she spent most of her life.
If I find pic I'll email a copy sometime.
Bob Rocque >>
In a message dated 5/28/03 7:48:50 AM, Mike.Stemler@delapro.com writes:
<< Jerry Bartel's mother was my cub scout den mother. We made indian uniforms for cub scouts. Bob Fuller and I wore our indian outfits in the kiddies parade and called ourselves the Tokay Indians. We won first place and $5 each. >>
Mike Stemler
Anyone have any photographs of themselves in the Kiddie's Parade?????
Newsletter - Vol. 10: 22 May
2003
Index Page: Senior Year
Index Page: Class of 1960