Once again, I attended the Christkindlmarkt at the Deutscher Club in Clark, NJ. This was no doubt the most popular one that I had been to. The parking lot was filled, and I had to park elsewhere in the neighborhood. The shopping area was crowded more than any other time in my experience. It was packed. That is a very good sign - it shows that the German tradition is not down and out.
The Deutscher Club Choir put on a mini concert:
Weihnachtslieder Am Christkindlmarkt In Clark, New Jersey Am 23. November 2014 (Hier ist ein mini-konzert am Christkindlmarkt am Deutscher Club in Clark, NJ. Lieder: „Alle Jahre Wieder”, „O Tannenbaum”, „O Du Fröhliche”, „Ihr Kinderlein, Kommet”, „Süßer Die Glocken Nie Klingen” und „Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht”):
Here is the url for the above video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfoquuEUSTg
My purchases of the day [all are German-made (hergestellt in Deutschland) except for the Playmobile set which was made in Malta] ...
Here are some incense holders/smokers along with the Playmobile set featuring the Christkind [seen in Nürnberg and Philadelphia's Christmas Village (although the addition of the blue color is very strange to me ... I have never seen the Christkind in blue)] and Nikolaus. The vendors threw in packs of incense. The guy with the carrot is incomplete - it is such an uncommon figure that I bought it anyway.
Pewter:
Wooden ornaments from the Erzgebirge region:
These books were sold for donations ... the donations going to a local German language school:
My Friends: Today is the 151st Anniversary of the Gettysburg Address. In this video, you will hear a record from the Victor label (catalog number: 35377) from 1914 featuring a recitation of Abraham Lincoln's Speech by Harry E. Humphrey being played on a Victor Victrola Model 4 (VV-IV) from 1915. The introduction on the record features the long-debunked belief that Lincoln wrote the Speech on the train heading to Gettysburg.
On October 12, 2014, I attended the AMAZING Mechanical Music Extravaganza in Wayne, New Jersey. This was my second time attending this convention, and, like last time, was very much worth the two hour drive to get there. This is the place to be if you want to procure an early machine for cylinders or 78s or stroll down the aisles as if it was a museum. The admission fee was $6. I certainly recommend the convention and I will be attending the next event in 2015.
This video is dark. I did not realize until after the fact. Plus, I already lost a bunch of records and all four needle packets that I purchased ... story of my life. Due to these facts, this video is a mess. When I find all that stuff, I might rerecord a video.
My car is getting stuffed here ... and this was just the beginning!
Here is my haul minus some records and all four needle packets:
Today, I visited five World War I Monuments/Memorials in honor of Veterans Day ... the first Veterans Day during the World War I Centennial. The cities were Oaklyn, Collingswood, Lindenwold, Monroe Township and Gloucester Township. The plaque for the one in Lindenwold was removed because the building is, by all appearances, vacant. I imagine the group that moved took the plaque with them. I got lost trying to find the memorial in Gloucester Township. I was driving aimlessly and, when I was at a red light, I looked to my right, and there was the memorial in Monroe Township. Totally unplanned, totally unscripted, very unexpected ... I went with the opportunity. I definitely took the good with the bad today. A driver in Gloucester Township gave me a beep of support at 4:41 in the video.
Meine Damen und Herren ... hallo. Das ist Michael. Es ist neunte November 2014 und heute ist der fünfundzwanzigste jahrestag von dem sturz der Berliner Mauer. Hier ist ein stuck von der Mauer.
For the English speakers: Ladies and Gentlemen ... hello. This is Michael. It is the ninth of November 2014, and today is the twenty-fifth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Here is a piece of the Wall.
Here I am with a piece of the Wall on November 9, 2014 ... 25 years after that very Wall fell:
I took this photo way back in 2008 when I had acquired the relic:
The Siege Of Fort Mifflin was once again held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania earlier today. Of course, the Siege Reenactment took place at the namesake Fort and actual location of the Battle. This blog entry covers day one of the two day Siege Weekend (November 8, 2014).
Here are three videos (Part 1: The Battle Reenactment, Part 2: The Encampment and Part 3: The Final March And The Lowering Of The Flag) ...
Photographs of the day ...
You can see all of this and more on day two of the Siege Of Fort Mifflin 237th Anniversary Weekend on Sunday, November 9, 2014. Details can be found here - http://www.fortmifflin.us
I finally get a chance to demonstrate the His Master's Voice Model 102E Portable Gramophone that I picked up at the Mechanical Music Extravaganza in Wayne, NJ in April. This 78 record is from the Tops Music Enterprises Tops For Tots line. It is titled Authentic Railroad Sounds (catalog number 1020) and still includes the original record sleeve. I bought this 78 at the Surround Sound Record Convention in Allentown, PA in September. I used a loud needle for each side of the record. It sounds great - very loud and very prominent. This is an amazing Gramophone. I am happy to finally be able to post a video with this machine. Records from this era are almost all under copyright status, and I avoid posting records that will lead to copyright strikes.
In addition, I have some train items on each side of the Gramophone: a Plasticville U.S.A. Cape Cod House that I just bought on Saturday, November 1 at the Train Show in Burlington, NJ, a Gilbert American Flyer HO Electric Train Set and a box of Atlas Rail Joiners. The Gilbert Set has been in my family since the 1960s and was placed around the Christmas tree in those days. It has a $15.00 Lit Brothers price tag on the box.
In this video, I discuss my experiences with these lenses. They are a-okay for extended wearing and stacking with prescription lenses. I paid $50.00 for these.
