 | Faye Graves, a native Wichitan, attended school at Friends and Wichita State, concluding at Midwestern Theological Seminary. He has been active in media for many years with Channel 12, KIRL, KFDI, KOOO AM & FM (Omaha), KFRM & KICT 95, as an owner, manager, producer, director and announcer. He has served as President of the Haysville Board of Education. He has also served on several national boards of the Southern Baptist Convention. Faye currently serves as Executive Pastor and Director of Administration and Education at Immanuel Baptist Church, 1415 S. Topeka, Wichita. You may contact Faye by e-mail fmgraves@amenibc.org, or by phone at (316) 262-1452. |
Nostalgia
2004-03-01 16:16:00
Easter in the 40's
Question: Tell me about the celebration of Easter in the 40's. How was it different than today?
ANSWER: I remember Easter as a boy. We were products of the depression, and money was not plentiful in the 40's. Back then; the day of Easter was dedicated to the real meaning, the Resurrection of Christ, rather than the commercialism that has crept in today. During this era, the days leading up to Easter were geared toward worship, remembering that this was the pinnacle of the Christian faith, the Resurrection of our Lord. This tremendous event was celebrated in various ways by the different denominations. All Christian churches came together the week prior to Easter at the Orpheum Theatre for the showing of the black and white movie, "The King of Kings." My family prepared to join the others by getting together our Easter clothes that we would wear to church. The women, it would seem, would try to outshine all others with the most colorful or the largest hat. I remember sitting for hours in a hat shop in the 100 block of East Douglas, while my mother tried to select just the right hat. My father always had to have a new suit; many time an all white one. White shoes were in, and the men all wore hats to church. The day before Easter involved boiling and dying eggs for the giant Easter egg hunts that would take place after Sunday dinner. Many families organized their own hunts, unlike citywide hunts that we see today. Sunday afternoons were different then. No TV, not many theatres, and a great deal more togetherness as a city. Seems like the 'in-thing' now is to dress down after church as quickly as we can by getting into our jeans and comfortable clothes. In the 40's, the Sunday morning church service was the main event. Families would stroll down Douglas and other streets displaying their Easter finery. Some would go to Riverside Park; maybe rent a boat at the boathouse then located at Murdock and Waco, or The Central Park, which had a zoo. They had a few lions, tigers, many monkeys, baboons, alligators, ducks in a duck pond, and a separate cage across the street housing some bears. There were concession stands. I still remember the smell of popcorn, the taste of an ice cream cone, and a cold bottle of pop cooled in ice. Those times seemed like endless sunny days with playgrounds, picnics and tremendous family fun!There are probably many additional things that you and your family did to celebrate the joyous event of Easter. I hope this jogs your memory to some of those good times. I sincerely hope that Easter 2004 begins with you and your family attending a worship service to celebrate the event that this day is all about, The Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
