Date: Time Period: 1950s; 2000s; 2013-03-28; Interview recorded: March 28, 2013Material: Digital audio recording made using Zoom H2 digital recorder and Adobe SoundBooth.Dimension:
Total running time: 0:06:15
Description: Gerard Tate, a Ridgewood resident, shares his experiences from Anniversary Day, a holiday that once celebrated the founding of the Sunday School Union. He describes the Anniversary Day parade held by churches as going on for many blocks as it was attended by thousands of Sunday school students. Although schools in Brooklyn and Queens closed for Anniversary Day, the parade's turnout gradually diminished, so much so that the hundredth anniversary was the last organized parade; it had an extremely low turnout, consisting mostly of senior citizens. This day eventually became Brooklyn Queens Day. Like Anniversary Day, Gerard notes that many of the churches he knew no longer exist. They have taken on other uses, such as a McDonald's, or have been forced to close due to lack of attendance. Gerard's church was started by Germans who moved to Queens from Brooklyn and Manhattan and even held services in German. Ridgewood churches are no longer so highly populated by Germans. He mentions one such church that used to be run by German nuns, but now houses a Taiwanese congregation.
Date : Time Period: 1950s; 2000s; 2013-03-28; Interview recorded: March 28, 2013
Summary/Description : Gerard Tate, a Ridgewood resident, shares his experiences from Anniversary Day, a holiday that once celebrated the founding of the Sunday School Union. He describes the Anniversary Day parade held by churches as going on for many blocks as it was attended by thousands of Sunday school students. Although schools in Brooklyn and Queens closed for Anniversary Day, the parade's turnout gradually diminished, so much so that the hundredth anniversary was the last organized parade; it had an extremely low turnout, consisting mostly of senior citizens. This day eventually became Brooklyn Queens Day. Like Anniversary Day, Gerard notes that many of the churches he knew no longer exist. They have taken on other uses, such as a McDonald's, or have been forced to close due to lack of attendance. Gerard's church was started by Germans who moved to Queens from Brooklyn and Manhattan and even held services in German. Ridgewood churches are no longer so highly populated by Germans. He mentions one such church that used to be run by German nuns, but now houses a Taiwanese congregation.
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