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Posted on Mon, Oct 15, 2012 : 11:26 a.m.

German Park picnic footage offers historic glimpse of local tradition

By Jenn McKee

Ann Arbor's German Park, at 5549 Pontiac Trail, has hosted three summer picnics, featuring German beer and food, on the last Saturday of June, July and August every year since 1938—and recently, some early footage of the German Park Recreation Club events has surfaced online.

The "found footage," posted by Terri Sarris on Vimeo, was reportedly purchased at Treasure Mart in Ann Arbor, and features lots of folk dancing and revelry. Check out the nearly nine minutes of footage on Vimeo.

Jenn McKee is the entertainment digital journalist for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at jennmckee@annarbor.com or 734-623-2546, and follow her on Twitter @jennmckee.

Comments

Jenn McKee

Wed, Oct 17, 2012 : 1:47 a.m.

The German Park footage was apparently not intended for public viewing, so it has been taken down from Vimeo since this story was published.

Peter Adamczyk

Tue, Oct 16, 2012 : 2:57 p.m.

It is fantastic to see these old videos. I am curious about the fact that some parts are Black and White, and other parts are Color. What can we learn about the age of the video from the available technology? I Googled a bit and found one (internet) source suggesting that video cameras portable enough to carry into a setting like that didn't exist for sale until the later 1960's: http://www.internetvideomag.com/Articles-2006/112706_historyofcamcorders.htm It seems that was black and white, with color even later. Certainly there exist videos from much farther back than that. What did it take to get them? Would this have been a professional video e.g. from a news organization that made the effort to tape it back then? Might anyone among the readers know more about that history, so we can discern 30's from 60's or 70's?

MMB95

Tue, Oct 16, 2012 : 4:44 p.m.

Peter, this was shot on film. There was color film back then for 8mm and 16mm cameras, it was just more expensive.

MMB95

Tue, Oct 16, 2012 : 12:02 p.m.

So neat! This would have been before my dad and grandparents started going, which was in the 50's.

Wystan Stevens

Mon, Oct 15, 2012 : 11:07 p.m.

Here is a link to a June, 1941,news photo of Dexter Village worthies promoting the Railroad Centennial: http://www.flickr.com/photos/70251312@N00/6804403761/

Wystan Stevens

Mon, Oct 15, 2012 : 11 p.m.

I believe I can answer your question, Will. In the summer of 1941, the Village of Dexter held a big party to mark the centennial of the first arrival of the Michigan Central Railroad in that happy little burg. A feature of the celebration was a group called "The Brothers of the Brush" -- downtown merchants who let their beards grow out, to replicate the furry faces of their 19th-century progenitors. Men and women were encouraged to dress in old fashioned attire. Neighbors from all over Washtenaw County were encouraged to join the fun at Dexter. A group of folks who took the invitation seriously were the residents of Emery, a post-office-cum-general-store hamlet on Earhart Road, north of Pontiac Trail, just a half-mile west of German Park. Not only did the Emery people don beards and costumes, they traveled all the way to Dexter and back on a high, horse-drawn Tally-Ho, the same conveyance that appears briefly in this German Park movie! Now, I want you to search the Ann Arbor and Dexter newspapers for the summer of 1941, and report back to the readers of this blog: did the Emery Tally-Ho and its passengers visit German Park before, or after, the long trek to Dexter?

Will Hathaway

Mon, Oct 15, 2012 : 8:45 p.m.

Does anyone know the story behind the "Gone With the Wind" Civil War era costumes that many are wearing towards the end of the film? Was it a costume party celebrating the movie? Did they used to have theme events at German Park?

Just Be Nice

Mon, Oct 15, 2012 : 8:07 p.m.

Love this footage! My grandparents, father, aunt and uncle were most likely there. I grew up attending the picnics at GP and took my son as well.

Suitsme

Mon, Oct 15, 2012 : 6:28 p.m.

Thank you, what fun. Was looking for my relatives but didn't see anyone I knew.

Chimay

Mon, Oct 15, 2012 : 4:25 p.m.

German Park is where my grandparents first met. Thanks to Terri Sarris for sharing.