A National Holiday
New York City—Grand Demonstration of Workingmen, September 5th—The Procession Passing the Reviewing-Stand at Union Square
September 5, 1882, saw speeches, picnics, concerts, and a parade from City Hall to Union Square. It marked the first observation of what would become a nationwide affair just a few years later. Origins are murky—Matthew Maguire, a machinist and secretary of the Central Labor Union of New York proposed a parade, as did Peter J. McGuire, cofounder of the American Federation of Labor, that same year. Either way, you can thank New York City for your long weekend kicking off September.
Devil Dogs and Ring Dings
The Drake’s brand began as The N.E. Drake Baking Company in Harlem in 1896 (see below). It went on to become the first baker to deliver large quantities of baked goods to grocery stores. Devil Dogs and Ring Dings are among the household-name treats it sells (it’s still in business today, back to being a family-run business after changing hands several times).
West Harlem beginnings. Image via Drake’s.
A Favorite Kid’s Snack
Major manufacturers jumped on this product in 1980, knocking off the Brooklyn original Joray fruit rollup and filling grocery shelves across the nation. It was the first fruit rollup, and it’s still made today in Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn. The fourth generation of the family is still manufacturing the product, following in the footsteps of patriarch George Shalhoub, who followed his American Dream starting in 1886.
Source: “Made in NYC,” City Guide, March 20, 2024
Contributed by Bobbie Roggemann