Monday, February 15, 2016
Fun in the sun 70 years ago
"Filmed by Gus Martens on June 15, 1946 in College Point, NY. The Kiwanis Club sponsors a Field Day beginning with a parade down College Point's main street. In Part 2 the parade finishes in College Point's waterside park where festivities continue with children's athletic games, appearances by local dignitaries, and plenty of free milk supplied by the church ladies. Filmed on 16mm Kodachrome. I did not apply or enhance the colors in any way - this is exactly how the film appears now, 70 years after it was made." - Robert W. Martens
26 comments:
Look at how white they all are!
Back in the days where it was beautiful in queens....now it's just all a third world craphole!
Nice quality footage. Could pass for early 1960s looking at dress codes and hair styles. Thanks for posting.
Back when America was America and diversity wasn't rammed down our throats! What a wonderful experience it must have been to have lived during this time. Good clean fun. Liberals would have a lot to say about this, I'm sure.
Queens neighborhood pride, when there was some.
At least we got past all that nonsense and have embraced political correctness and "diversity".
We are now so much better than those evil bigoted, racist, homophobes of yesteryear...
what is a kiwanis club anyway?
What a beautiful America. Sorry but Beethoven is more beautiful and of a higher order than the Beatles. Diversity IIIIIIIISSSSSS ugly.
Beautiful films of a gentler, kinder, sweeter time!
Born in 1948, I remember activities like this in other parts of Queens, especially around Memorial Day and July 4th.
I turn 68 this week, and lament the loss of these good times. As a child, I felt pride in my neighborhood (Jackson Heights), and in Queens as a whole as I had family, relatives and friends in many other neighborhoods.
People back then took pride in their homes, their blocks, their neighborhoods, and their county. They helped each other without question or reservation.
I truly lament the loss of this community pride!
YES, I have to blame the change in demographics! I have seen it creep in and slowly change the character of my block, my neighborhood, and my county of birth.
It breaks my old heart and makes my cry!
Nice camera work. Nice editing and sound. AND nothing - NOTHING - beats Kodachrome film.
That was College Point before it became vibrant and diverse, now look at College Point after we embraced vibrant diversity. If this isn't enough proof for anyone that this diversity nonsense is really bad for us, you must be blind. We have one shot left as a country to save ourselves. NYC may be too far gone, but the rest of the country can be saved. If we don't elect Trump this fall to start to turn things around, I really think that will be the beginning of the end for this once great country.
How many of those kids seen jumping and leaping and prancing about in these 2 movies voted later on in their lives for those politicians that gave us in 1965 the Immigration and Nationality Act that changed the face of white majority America? Dare I say - sociologically and poetically speaking - voting for the death knell of white America?
Even when I was growing up in bayside back in the 80s, it was really nice. My neighbors all looked out for each other, that was in the days when 25% of bayside was black people. I loved my black neighbors, they helped raise me. Now bayside just like most of queens has become third world crap! My neighbors were the best and took pride in their properties and it was wonderful! I even remember the street fair that they held on bell blvd many years ago....those days are long gone. I remember there was also a fair and native American pow wows in Fort totten too. I remember when everything on northern blvd use to be a car dealership and when I believe it was a dress barn on francis Lewis blvd and northern blvd use to be. I miss the consumers, I miss the Alexander's in flushing. I miss the Woolworth that use to be on bell blvd. I miss the old times and the old stores. Please if someone has a time machine, please put me back in time!
Do these clubs still throw street parties?
How wonderful. Before they let those into destroy neighborhoods. The problems started when the welfare laws changed, early 1960's, across New York. Every community was impacted.
I find it very strange that people no longer have pride in the place where they live and have an attitude of let's throw as much garbage in the street as we can because no one will stop us.
The world has changed and not for the better. Diversity is a bad word.
Love those Gone with the Wind dresses. Where are all the participants today? Wonder if those Children are still alive? Would be interesting to have a reunion.
Someone said "Liberals would have a lot to say about this, I'm sure." The sad thing is that most of these good New Yorkers were probably liberal Democrats, in the meaning of the words back then.
Wow, this was back when people could afford to actually have kids and had spare time to participate in community organizations! Now everyone's working 2+ jobs (moms & dads) just to pay the mortgage and taxes in Queens! Must have been a great time to raise a family here. Sadly, it will never go back.
"Sadly, it will never go back"
True in more ways then one :-(
Our politicians have certainly drained the life out of communities and have made them simply places to harvest campaign donations so Honest Joe Crowley can move up in the ranks by giving the national Democratic Organization funds for lobbyists.
The local politicians have drained the life out of everything, from civics to media outlets. We have a crop of real winners, the clerks that used to receive fines and fill in government paperwork are now passing legislation to benefit real estate donors and approving budgets that do little more than employ party hacks on welfare programs and the well connected nephews with multi-million dollar dog runs.
Nary a tubby out of shape child to be seen.
At least we got past all that nonsense and have embraced political correctness and "diversity".
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There was diversity. Irish, Italian, German, Jewish, etc.
But today, thats not good enough. Thats not the "right kind" of diversity. Because its not fair if the Irish, German, and Italians all work hard together to make their neighborhood strong if they get to keep the nice things they earned. No, they have surrender to and to make room for people who didn't put in the work, to take a piece of what they have. THATS real diversity.
> No, they have surrender to and to make room for people who didn't put in the work, to take a piece of what they have.
No one's forcing your neighbors to sell their homes to Chinese developers for outrageous markups.
It is a matter of attitude not ethnicity. I can remember one of the first Korean guys to move in the neighborhood who used to march every year in Memorial Day parade. He was a ROK Marine back in the day and he would march with the Vets. I still can see him running into his candy store as the parade passed it on a very hot day to bring out sodas for the boys. That was community spirit.
Beautiful! Took me back many years. We still had stuff like this going on in the 60's in Bellerose, Floral Park, Queens Village. I can't recall much like this after '71 or '72. Gone for good.
No one's forcing your neighbors to sell their homes to Chinese developers for outrageous markups.
Forced or not they are buying the Chicago Stock Market now!
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