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Health & Fitness

The Greendale Review Newspaper - Revisited Week 4 - 9/10/38

The Greendale Review was Greendale's first newspaper and through 2013 I will post stories from the early days of Greendale taken from the paper.

With this year being the 75th anniversary I thought it might be interesting as well as fun to look back at Greendale’s beginnings from the viewpoint of its own residents and local news stories of the day. Every Thursday through the end of the year, I will be posting humorous, relevant or just interesting stories from Greendale’s original newspapers.

The following selected stories are copied exactly as they were originally written (including some misspellings) unless otherwise noted. Some may be shortened with “…”. They will be in bold and italicized type.

Also, just a reminder - Greendale first opened to residents on May 1, 1938

Find out what's happening in Greendalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The Greendale Review – September 10, 1938

GREENDALE GETS NEW FIRE TRUCK

Find out what's happening in Greendalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

     The Greendale Volunteer Fire Department is now the proud custodian of a brand, spanking-new, Howe-built, fire fighting combination.

The unit is constructed on a Diamond T chassis, and comprises a Howe centrifugal pump, ladders fire extinguishers, an auxiliary water tank of 200 gallons capacity, 1000 feet of 2-1/2 inch hose, 450 feet of 1-1/2 inch hose, and 150 feet 1 inch hose. The pumping unit has a rated capacity of 500 gallons of water per minute, although this output can be increased to 700 gallons (as demonstrated at the initial tryout) at a shaft speed of 2850 R. P. M. The 95 horsepower Diamond T engine does the work.

Those volunteers who participated in the testing were: W. Hale, H. Burkhalter, A. Malsack, John Reith, C. Krause, D. Paradowski, J. Glavan, J. Oberhofer, and W. Kroening.

The original equipment consisted of an abandoned 1921 model “T” Ford, which, in its prime, developed about 45 horsepower. It was equipped with an auxiliary 10 horsepower two-cycle engine which squirted a maximum of 70 gallons of water per minute through a one-inch hose.

Firemen to Attend Drill

Except for the initial testing of new equipment, and for one occasion when they were called to answer a false alarm, which was set off by lightning during a cloudburst, the Volunteer Fire Dept. have had little to do. …

GENERAL

A meeting for those adults interested in the formation of a Boy and Girl Troup will be held at the Community Building September 13, at 7:30 P.M.

Mr. Ambruster, principal of the Greendale School requests that whenever possible, functions in the Community Building be arranged for Tuesday or Thursday evenings. This will help considerably in defraying expenses.

PLEASE WALK ON SIDEWALKS!!!

     Particularly at this time of the year, and especially in view of the damp weather we’ve been having, you are requested to keep to the sidewalks just as much as possible, when walking through the village. For their safety’s sake, please impress your children with this point. Streets are wet and cars cannot stop as quickly on wet streets as on dry pavement.

Furthermore, please avoid “short cuts” across lawns and seeded areas. The dampness has penetrated quite deeply and unless every precaution is observed wherever possible, lawn beds are apt to become badly damaged.

GREENDALE SHUTTLE BUS

     A station wagon is now operating between Greendale and the bus line at 60th and Forest Home for the convenience of tenants in getting to and from their employment. The Bus Station will be the Greendale terminal. There is no charge for this service which has been established pending the inauguration of the regular bus line. Identification cards entitling the holders to transportation will be issued at the management office upon request. …

ADMINISTRATION DESIRES TO MAKE GREENDALE SELF-GOVERNED COMMUNITY

According to an interview with Sherwood L. Reeder, Community Manger of Greendale, it is the desire of the Administration to make Greendale a wholly self-governed community. Steps to bring about the incorporation of Greendale as a village under the laws of the State of Wisconsin have been taken, although it requires about 3 months to meet all the requirements set up in the statutes. When incorporation becomes a fact, the village will be organized under the village manager type of government. …

BAND CONCERT TO BE GIVEN SUNDAY

The first band concert of the season will be given in Greendale in front or inside of the Community Bldg. depending upon the weather, at 3:00 P.M. Sun, Sept. 11.

The band is composed of fifty members who will be led by Mr. Joseph Gigante, a conductor who is well known in Milwaukee. The concert has been arranged through the courtesy of the WPA and the plans were made by Mr. Allen G. Koschin, 7001 Grange Avenue, chairman of the entertainment committee.

Until other facilities for outdoor concerts are provided, the audience is asked to cooperate with the committee by providing their own camp stools or blankets to sit on.

ALONZO HAUSER INTERPRETS RURAL THEME IN SCULPTURE

     In the Greendale community, art is accepted as a way of life. The expression of this philosophy is exemplified in the planning of the village, in its structure, and in the flag pole group designed by Alonzo Hauser.

Mr. Hauser, who was appointed by the Farm Security Administration to design the sculpture for the community, derived his inspiration from rural life. In explanation of his theme, he said that Wisconsin’s reputation among the states of the Union depends largely upon its dairying and agricultural heritage, probably as much as any other single thing. Because of this reputation for progressive advancement in agriculture, it is only fitting that Greendale should place much emphasis upon this aspect of its existence.

 Mr. Hauser went on to explain that the subject matter of the sculpture he designed for the Community Building was to express the predominating agricultural idea in sculptural terms as simply and as honestly as possible.

“As the Community Building will be used perhaps eighty per-cent of the time by children and young people, they have, of course, the dominant place in my design”, he said. “The adult aspect of community living I have embodied in the design for the flagpole base, which was originally intended to have a prominent place in the community itself.”

“In the Community Building and its sculpture”, he continued, “there are four panels starting with the child of kindergarden age surrounded by domestic animals with which all children are familiar. The next two panels, which are companion pieces over the entrance to the grammer grades show a boy playing a banjo – a homely American instrument – one that every child can relate to his every day appreciation of music. In the background of this panel”, he said, “there are four symbols taken from Girl Scout merit badges. They include minstrelry, neighborliness, sewing and flower finding. These relate to a bar of music in the other panel and helps to tie the two together.”

The fourth and largest panel, according to Mr. Hauser, is twelve feet high by five feet wide, has two figures, a young man and woman with a colt in the foreground. The young man and the young woman are healthy Wisconsin types, their eyes looking into the future with a forward movement expressed in the general design of the panel. The colt serves both to relate the design of the panels as a group to the original child with his interest and friendship with life around him.

In Mr. Hauser’s opinion, there is nothing mysteriously symbolic in this work. His hope and intention has been to create sculptural design that the people, especially the young people living in this agricultural-suburban-community, may look at and live with and by friendly association will further indentify themselves with the community and all of nature and society around them.

Next week – Many new recreational activities begin in Greendale!

Thanks to the Greendale Historical Society, for which I am a member, for providing the original newspapers.

Steve Peters

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