Technical Difficulties

 We'll be back up as soon as I can figure this out.

Downtown Dinner

November 29, 1922, Menasha Record

Above...the menu for Thanksgiving at the Hotel Menasha.  I must admit, despite my advanced age and my growing up in Wisconsin, I was still totally unaware of the famed "Watertown Goose," as presented by the hotel that day in 1922.  The geese were somewhat unique, in that they were filled with German noodles instead of a breaded stuffing. My research found that since the late 19th century, the geese were raised and prepared in Watertown, Wisconsin and found their way to the tables of wealthy people in the east- New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and other eastern cities usually purchased the bulk of them. Orders were placed weeks and even months in advance and some wealthy families had standing orders from year to year to be certain of getting them.  Over the years, the idea fell out of favor, both due to labor intensity plus animal rights concerns and by the 1950's, only one farm in Watertown still produced the birds.  But this link to the Watertown Historical Society tells much more about the geese than I could ever tell:  http://www.watertownhistory.org/articles/stuffedgeese.htm.  It's always fun to learn something new.

I'm taking a little time off over Thanksgiving, so I'll see you next week!  Enjoy whatever time you can carve out with your loved ones, be it in person or via technology.  But please keep yourself and them safe.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Dressed for Dinner

November 26, 1971, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

With Thanksgiving only a few days away, the norm, in former years, might have been for similar scenes at elementary schools nationwide to be played out.  But in these politically correct and pandemic-riddled times, nothing is a guarantee anymore.  So, we here at the blog, will just have to satisfy ourselves with a look back some 49 years at the way it used to be.

Good for Our Souls

November 26, 1937, Oshkosh Northwestern

With Thanksgiving looming on the horizon later this week, this piece from 1937 gives us pause for thought and is as timely today as it was back then.  Pulling the nation out of a great depression was on the minds of everyone then and pulling ourselves out of this pandemic now is our chief concern.  And while the 1937 speaker advocated physically visiting the sick to bolster their moods, such advice is definitely not recommended these days, so electronic means would be a better bet.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

November 20, 1961, Oshkosh Northwestern

With Thanksgiving next week and with the stores all aglow with Christmas lights and trees and other decor for sale, let's step away from election angst and COVID fatigue to focus on what's important.  And although the holiday season might be different this time around, I'm confident we can all overcome those limitations and make this Christmas as meaningful as ever.  

A Horrible Tragedy

March 31, 1999, Appleton Post-Crescent

As disclosed yesterday, avid voter Mr. Brezinski survived a horrible, tragic accident earlier in his life.  Today, we reveal the terrible story of that fateful night in 1911.   His life, and those of so many others, would never be the same.  Thankfully, the version I provided above lacks a lot of the lurid details that newspapers of 1911 didn't mind putting in.  I had difficulty envisioning the site of the accident until I found the diagram below.  The location is a few blocks south of Winneconne Avenue in Neenah.

September 26, 1911, Oshkosh Northwestern

Long Time Voter

November 4, 1980, Twin City News-Record

Mr. Brezinski was a dedicated voter, year after year, never failing.  No excuse was great enough to keep him from the polls.  And yes, he DID vote in the 1984 election.  Within this article you will find another interesting fact, about how he survived that infamous hayride-train collision in 1911.  Most do not not know of this tragedy, but more on that tomorrow.