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History Of The King Frost Parade
By Janet Barr - Hamburg Area Item Writer
Photos Provided by the Hamburg Historical
Society
 King
Frost! Say the name in Berks County and you think of Hamburg , all
lit up and full of people, smelling pizza, fallen leaves and diesel
fumes, and throbbing to the beat of several dozen bands.
Most people know that the Jaycees have been handling the parade
since its revival in 1964. And some people know that it began, and
got its name, back in the early years of this century. But what
was it that enabled a town of 2,000 people to originate and then
sustain an extravaganza that has many times been compared to Mardi
Gras?
Jack Walker- Started It All
In 1910, optimism was flourishing across the
land. The people of Hamburg had energy, enthusiasm, patriotism and
good humor, and the time was right for something remarkable to happen.
Up stepped Jack Walker with an idea.
An article in The Hamburg Item of Sept. 29, 1910 , announced that
"Jack Walker is at the head of a movement to arrange for a
great masquerade Halloween parade on the evening of Oct. 31. Everyone
is invited to participate - singly, in pairs, trios, quartets or
delegations. Prizes will be awarded for the best and most comic
costumes, but these details will be worked out later and announced."
 By
the next week, an Item headline reported, "Jack has them all
stirred up!" Employees of local industries said they'd participate,
and a delegation from Berne requested permission to enter. The fire
company, the fraternal club known as Red Men, and a group calling
themselves "Heckman's Chairwarmers" were among the first
to show interest.
A committee organized, consisting of businessmen, an attorney, the
Item publisher and more. The project took on a life of its own,
and each week's paper had more to report.
Bands and groups of people from other towns sent word that they
wanted to be in the parade. Foundry and factory workers, school
children, a young ladies sewing society, all signed up.
Households were asked to illuminate the parade route, but to avoid
fireworks because of the horses. A judges' stand was built.
The parade grew to at least four divisions,
with Mayor T. M. Raubenhold as chief marshall , and Curt Sunday
and Will Merkel as his aides. Picture it. A crisp fall night, the
streets only dimly lit, sounds of laughter, the rustle of costumes,
the clop and rumble of horse-pulled floats. The whirl of noisemakers
and the beeping of horns. The oompah bands and bugle corps, many
carrying torches, leading marchers of every description.
The parade formed at Second and State streets at 7 p.m. , and the
town was full of merrymakers from all over Berks and Schuylkill
counties. Those who came by train from up the line had to stay in
town until the " Buffalo " Express left after midnight
.
Principal among the masqueraders was a group
of 30 girls from the Gotham knitting mill. The prize for the oldest
man to march the entire route was given to William Fesig, who was
68. Hamburg 's Darktown Fire Brigade not only paraded, they stopped
here and there to rescue stuffed figures from second-story windows,
where red lights gave the illusion of a conflagration.
The committee had done a remarkable job. It gave young and old alike
something to remember and talk about all winter long.
1916 - What Happened?
King Frost was conspicuous by its absence -
no mention of it in The Item at all, where before it had occupied
a prominent place each week in October.
It could have been many things - an epidemic
of infantile paralysis, war news (we were not yet at war, but a
British ship was sunk by a U-boat off Nantucket Shoal), the closing
of the bridge over the canal at State Street the last week of October
so it could be rebuilt, or perhaps the committee was fragmented
or tired.
At any rate, Halloween came relatively quietly to Hamburg in 1916,
with only a Monday morning school children's parade, and then another
youngster's parade in the evening.
The years following were dark ones, marked by
war and influenza. In 1917, with local men serving overseas and
Company E enlarged to 200 men and transferred to machine gun service,
there was an attempt to inject some Halloween merriment. A firemen's
convention here held a parade Oct. 27, with 16 companies and 13
bands. The musicians then visited the Sanatorium east of town, and
also rendered several selections in different parts of town.
In 1918, of course, when the number of influenza cases escalated
daily, public gatherings of any sort were discouraged. By the end
of October, 200 cases of flu were reported in Hamburg , some of
them fatal.
Revived in 1921
In August 1921, The Item stated that: "Due
to the infantile paralysis quarantine in 1916, and also the absence
of former Company E on the Mexican border, the carnival was suspended.
From 1917 until now, war and the reconstruction period have made
its revival rather impossible. Until now!"
The revival was hailed with pleasure by people throughout the area.
Death and retirement had reduced the former committee to four, so
the reins were handed over to the Keystone Social Club, with assistance
from the remaining committee members and also the Ontelaunee Tribe
of Red Men, a fraternal organization who planned to hold a convention
here to coincide with the carnival.
1940 - The End of the Beginning
The committee had to have been discouraged.
In 1940, a public meeting, called to see if the people wanted the
parade, was attended by only 10 persons. Finally, the Keystone Social
Club, a sponsor of the parade in its early years, agreed to take
on the job once more, but with Paul Tobias and his faithful aides
still serving as officers. They organized committees, raised funds
and advertised. An afternoon and evening parade were planned for
the first time since 1924.
They wrestled valiantly with traffic problems, but it was a losing
battle. They changed the route to avoid State Street except at intersections.
Complaints about Route 122 being tied up from Port Clinton to Shoemakersville
the previous year caused them to come up with a desperate traffic
solution: Traffic would run both ways (on Fourth Street and Port
Clinton Avenue ) until the parade had gone down Third as far as
Arch Street . After that, southbound traffic would use the west
side of Third (with the parade marching along in the other lane!)
and northbound vehicles would be sent up the east side of Fourth
Street , also in tandem with floats and marchers. It was an imaginative
concept.
It rained early, but clear warm weather later brought out an estimated
50,000 people. Parking was at a premium. The parade had patriotic
overtones, and there was also a nice variety of comic characters,
such as Li'l Abner and his Dogpatcher from New Holland.
But for the first time, extensive rowdiness
marred the carnival. Crowds milled in the streets, causing the Route
122 traffic to break into the procession. And toward the end of
the route, crowds forced the entire procession to be diverted onto
a side street.
So that was it. Even without the world events of 1941, traffic would
have derailed King Frost. It took 24 years and two new highways
to enable the carnival to find its way back to Hamburg .
The Modern Parade
The Hamburg Jaycees, most or all of whom had
never seen a King Frost parade, but had heard glowing reports of
it, took up the yoke in 1964.
That year there were 2,200 people in line of march, more than 50
floats and even three Mummer string bands from Philadelphia , as
well as the fondly-remembered mill and factory groups.
The Jaycees met and dealt with problems. When the parades were invaded
by blatant political floats (being so close to election day), a
rule was soon drafted banning political propaganda of any kind.
After a few years, confetti was not allowed either, as unthinking
spectators had a habit of throwing it in band members' faces as
they passed. Bars have been closed King Frost night for many years.
King Frost is still a big night for Hamburg . The weather is usually
kind, the bands are great, there is plenty of food and a two-mile
route to find a good vantage point, and extra police provide vigilance
and improved traffic conditions before and after the parade.
So bring your chairs and blankets, wave at King Frost as he comes
regally down the street. Applaud the floats, cheer as the bands
pass, don't miss a single ghoul or witch or Disney character. Have
a good time - it's a Hamburg tradition.
Looking for more information about the King
Frost Parade? Click here for the official King
Frost Parade website.
Article courtesy of the Hamburg Area Item
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