Weihnachtsmarkt In Sparta, New Jersey Held On December 7, 2014

Once again, Lake Mohawk in Sparta, NJ held its annual German Weihnachtsmarkt on December 6 and 7, 2014.  I went on December 7.  The event seems to be getting more and more popular.  I did not arrive until a little after 3:00 (the closing time was 5:00), and it was still packed.

Here is the scenery as I walked toward the market:


I saw a wood carver working on a creation:


Here is a brief video showing his skills:

The url for the above video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQLNwRGZVFM

The entrance:


Look at this wooden bear:


Now look at the pricetag!



Other sights ...




That is an angry looking eagle:


Here is a sample of what I purchased (all German-made):


This owl looks as angry as the eagle:


I would like to give a special salute to a woman who used to set up at the Sparta and Clark German events.  She passed away earlier in the year.  I made purchases from her over the years, and this event was the last time the people connected to her set up.  I walked away with a large haul of her stock at this event.  I will continue to decorate with these fine items well into the future.

Battle For Schmidt World War II Reenactment Held In Philadelphia, PA On December 6, 2014

Once again, Fort Mifflin held its annual World War II Reenactment in the cold of December.  This time it was cold AND wet.  As you may have seen in my previous blog entry, December 6, 2014 was a very wet day.  I was soaked.  The ground was saturated, and this affected the maneuvers as you will observe shortly.

There were Battles at 11:00 and 3:00.  Here is a video of the 3:00 Battle:

The url for the above video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pFaMqvJh7w

Photographs (I did my best with them ... at times, the lens was wet and partially obstructed with steam) ...










Someone took a major spill here:


I showed this photo to some of the Reenactors when it was still in the camera, and they were cracking up.  Someone even used the word scorpion to describe the fall.  It DOES look like a scorpion!

I had to post the large default size of this:


Back to the Battle ...









Inside of a German bunker ...




German hospital (Deutsches Rotes Kreuz = German Red Cross) ...

GTV Almrausch, The Damenchor Wald Echo And The Franklinville-Schwarzwald Männerchor At The Christmas Village In Philadelphia, PA On December 6, 2014

This blog entry features performances by GTV Almrausch, Damenchor Wald Echo and the Franklinville-Schwarzwald Männerchor.  GTV Almrausch is a German Schuhplattler dance group and Damenchor Wald Echo and the Franklinville-Schwarzwald Männerchor are German choral groups.  They appeared at the Christmas Village in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on December 6, 2014.

As you can see in the photographs and video footage, there was a hard rain coming down.  The camera lens faced interference from raindrops and fogging.  I was soaked.  I stood out there filming.  None of my umbrellas were nearby so I went to the Village without any of them.  I do not mind - it was well worth it since I was interested in seeing these acts bring the German culture to the German Christmas Village.

I parked ten blocks away.  Considering how busy Philadelphia is, I park at the first spot that I see.  As I walked down Arch Street, I decided to get a couple shots of the skyline.  You can see how nasty it was outside.







Here is GTV Almrausch.  The songs that they danced to were the Schuhplattler Tanz, the Hofbräuhaus and Bergvagabunden.


The url for the above video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xyDuxhB7o0







Here are Damenchor Wald Echo and the Franklinville-Schwarzwald Männerchor.  They performed a number of Christmas (aka Weihnachten) songs.


The url for the above video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCJ7n2Wu6FY







I took a walk, a wet walk, around the Village.  Here are some shots ...

Apollo Quartette With Tenting On The Old Camp Ground Berliner Record 1898

My Friends: The American Civil War Sesquicentennial continues in this very special video, and I am very excited to bring you this recording.  2014 marks the 150th Anniversary of the publishing of "Tenting On The Old Camp Ground".  The song was written by a man named Walter Kittredge.  Walter was drafted into the Union Army and was discharged shortly after due to his bout with rheumatic fever.  Tonight, I have for you an extremely old recording of the song.  It goes way back to the year 1898.  It is one of the earliest recorded examples of the song.  The recording session, performed by the Apollo Quartette, took place in April of 1898.  This record was pressed on the Berliner Gramophone label (catalog number 4264).  It does not play at 78 rpm - there was not a standard speed in those days.  It plays in the high 60s or low 70s.  I made the speed adjustment on the Victor Victrola Model 4 (VV-IV) that I am using for the presentation.  The Victrola dates to 1915.  Out of all of the machines that I have, the VV-IV is the closest to the date of the record.  I used a loud tone needle for this recording.  It sounds good when the camera is close to the speaker.  That is why the majority of the video is in that vicinity of the Victrola.


The url for the above video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVgQKhWVVZk

The Berliner Gramophone company was started by a German immigrant named Emile Berliner.  Emile was not a Military Veteran.  To the contrary - he fled Europe to avoid being drafted for the Franco-Prussian War in 1870.

In the video, I mentioned that the record was partially stamped and partially etched by hand.  I provided a few shots at different angles so you can see ...







The etchings are "Male Quartette 72-12 Tenting On The Old Camp Ground Apollo Quartette Washington, DC 4/98"

Additional information can be found at this url: http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/2000148917/4264-Tenting_on_the_old_campground

This link will give you more information on Emile Berliner and his Gramophone company: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/berlhtml/berlgramo.html

I hope you enjoyed this 116-year-old recording of "Tenting On The Old Camp Ground"!!!

Jolly Coppersmith By The Zonophone Orchestra Zon-o-phone Record 1900/1901

Tonight, I have for you a record off of the Zon-o-phone label (catalog number B9175) released by the Universal Talking Machine Company.  It is titled "Jolly Coppersmith" by the Zonophone Orchestra.  The record dates to 1900 or 1901.  It plays at 68 to 74 rpm as opposed to 78 rpm.  A standard speed did not exist in those days.  I made the speed adjustment on the Victor Victrola Model 4 (VV-IV) that I am using for the presentation.  The Victrola dates to 1915.  Out of all of the machines that I have, the VV-IV is the closest to the date of the record.  I used a loud tone needle for this recording.  It sounds really good.  I like the sound of the triangle clanging.  A 113-year-old or 114-year-old record right here ...


The url for the above video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nS-ZDDckmtI

Photographs ...






More information about the record can be found at this link: http://www.worldcat.org/title/jolly-coppersmith/oclc/44942838