What do musician JJ Cale, opera tenor Jose Carreras, comedienne Margaret Cho, General George Armstrong Custer, novelist Joan Didion, Walt Disney, model Shalom Harlow, German physicist Werner Heisenberg, film directors Fritz Lang and Otto Preminger, Loggins-Messina musician Jim Messina, Malcolm in the Middle star Frankie Muniz, former quarterback Jim Plunkett, Little Richard, Telly Savalas (who played Kojak), writer Calvin Trillin, 8th U.S. President Martin Van Buren and perhaps millions of others all have in common? They were all born December 5.
There are eighteen days until December 5, the date that the 18th Amendment was repealed by the 21st Amendment, ending that failed social experiment known as Prohibition. That was in 1933 and this year will mark the 75th anniversary of Prohibition’s repeal. And like people back then, we too will celebrate that fact with a parade. Fittingly, the 21st Amendment Brewery & Restaurant in San Francisco will host the parade, which will begin at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, December 5.
The parade route from Justin Herman Plaza (at Market and Spear Sts.) to 21st Amendment Brewery on 2nd.
The brewery is currently seeking two individuals to act as Grand Marshal for the parade, one born in 1933 (who would, like the Amendment, turn 75 on Dec. 5) and one born in 1987, meaning that person will turn 21, the legal age for drinking alcohol, this year. They’re offering a $100 bounty for these two individuals.
The Grand Marshals will lead the Repeal Prohibition Parade (aka We Want Beer! March), which will begin at 4:00 p.m. at Justin Herman Plaza and end at the 21st Amendment Brewery. You can’t miss us — we’ll be the ones with the marching band and a coterie of revelers in 1930’s garb carrying We Want Beer! signs.
After the parade, a “Repeal Prohibition Celebration” will beheld at the 21st Amendment Brewery. They’ll have a three-piece jazz band, special food and drinks, and a private party in the Mezzanine that requires a password to enter. We’ll share the password with the Grand Marshals, but everyone else will have to find it themselves. We’ll twitter password retrieval instructions on December 1.
There will also be other events taking place throughout repeal week.
The historian in me has to point out that the “We Want Beer” parades took place in May 1932 (there were multiple parades all over the U.S.) and that beer became legal on April 7, 1933, months before prohibition ended on Dec. 5.
On the other hand, everyone loves a parade, and the more the merrier.
And check out Oregon blogger Jeffrey Morganthaler’s call for a national Repeal Day holiday here:
http://www.jeffreymorgenthaler.com/category/repeal-day/?order=asc