HERE YOU GO AGAIN: 81st Anniversary of Prohibition’s End Returns to Ferndale
By Jason Shubnell | Photos © 2014 Ed Abeska
BACK FOR ITS eighth year, the Ferndale GoodFellows dressed up and drank down in honor of the end to Prohibition.
Various Ferndale establishments tried to recreate the feel of the 1930s, hosting their own drink specials, while bar staffs and patrons were encouraged to wear period costumes (think Al Capone and The Great Gatsby). The event raised funds for Ferndale GoodFellows, who offer assistance to needy families during the holiday season. The event took place Saturday, December 6, starting around dinner time and running until the bars closed.
Lifelong Ferndale resident Larry Mills and his wife Monica are the brains behind the event. “Watching the History Channel, learning about December 1933, my husband suggested a fundraiser for Ferndale Goodfellows,” Monica said. “Any opportunity for Monica and Larry to get dressed up is cause for celebration in itself,” said Michael Hennes of Howe’s Bayou, which has been a participating venue in the event every year.
Donations are raised through sponsorships and passing the “moonshine jug” at participating venues. Last year, eight venues and more than a dozen volunteers raised over $3,500 for needy families. $22,500 has been raised over the event’s eight-year run. Volunteers stopped to pass the jug around all participating bars. Patrons were encouraged to put donations in the jug whenever they wanted to make a contribution. The moonshine jug will be left at Just 4 Us until after Christmas, so there’s still a chance to contribute.
“Off-duty police officers work with the fire department and other service organizations as part of Good Fellows to ensure each child is warm, sheltered, fed and hopefully has a toy for the holiday.”
Tito’s Vodka was a sponsor for the first time in 2014. “Ferndale is a big supporter of Tito’s and I thought that would be the least I could do,” said Sam Randazzo, state manager for Tito’s Vodka. “Everyone deserves a Merry Christmas.”
A history lesson.
PROTESTANTS AND PROGRESSIVES from both political parties, as part of the Anti-Saloon League, were the force behind Prohibition. After years of legal and political wrangling, the United States officially
became a dry country on January 17, 1920, when the 18th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution was passed.
Michigan had actually been trying to ban alcohol as early as 1852, believing that “such a ban would reduce crime and improve both family life and employee productivity,” according to documents from Wayne State’s Walter P. Reuther Library. Citizens of Michigan actually approved a prohibition amendment to the state constitution in 1916. However, “bootlegging operations and smuggling networks formed within hours.”
The Michigan-Windsor lake border was a match made in bootlegging heaven. One of Detroit’s most famous mobs, the Purple Gang, were notorious bootleggers.
When the Great Depression hit in the late 1920s and tax revenues waned, a new source of revenue was needed. The Cullen-Harrison Act legalized the sale of beer with an alcohol content of 3.2 percent. Upon signing the act, President Franklin D. Roosevelt reportedly said, “I think this would be a good time for a beer.”
The 18th Amendment was repealed on December 5, 1933, with ratification of the 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. As of 2012, the state of Michigan has at least 120 breweries.
“We’re not actually honoring the end of Prohibition,” said Hennes. “More like celebrating the end of the silly law that banned drink in the first place.”
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