Anniversary Celebration of Prohibition's End Raises Money for Charity

Downtown Ferndale bars and restaurants will again step back in time Saturday with an event that commemorates the day in December 1933 that the 21st Amendment ending prohibition was passed.

The event from 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6, to 2 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 7. It isn’t a pub crawl, but guests are invited to attend all the venues.

Last year, eight “blind pigs,” as speakeasies were known during the days of Prohibition, raised more than $3,500 for the Ferndale Goodfellows, who assist needy families during the holiday season. Organizers say the economy is still challenging, but the event is gaining steam and the goal is to raise more money this year.

Venues will be decorated 1930s style, and staff and patrons are encouraged to wear period costumes. Special drink prices will be offered on Tito’s Handmade Vodka, produced in Austin at Texas’ first and oldest legal distillery; and Templeton Rye, small-batch whiskey produced by an Iowa-based company that has replicated the Prohibition Era-recipe that gangster Al Capone popularized.

The Ferndale Goodfellows work with off-duty police officers, fire department personnel and other service organizations in putting on the event, where the goal is to ensure that each child is warm, sheltered, fed and hopefully will receive a toy for Christmas. Donations are collected by “passing the moonshine jug,” raffles, cover charges at some venues and corporate contributions.

Participating clubs and restaurants include Danny’s Irish Pub, Dino’s Lounge, Howe’s Bayou, New Way Bar, Sneakers, Soho, Tony’s Sports Bar and the Twisted Tavern.

Sponsors include Danny’s Irish Pub, Sneakers, The Bar Down Stairs, Sucher Tire Service, Green Thumb Garden Center, Tommy’s Detroit Bar & Grill, John R Glass of Troy, Tito’s Vodka, Templeton Rye Whiskey, Just 4 Us, Ferndale 115.com, Ferndale Friends Newspaper, Craig Covey, City Councilman Greg Pawlica and Ferndale Mayor Pro-Tem Dan Martin.

The 21st Amendment, ratified on Dec. 5, 1933, repealed the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which had mandated a nationwide prohibition on alcohol. During Prohibition, illegal liquor was in high demand and expensive, making criminals rich.

At the same time, the FBI and police officers were investing time and money in what proved to be an expensive losing battle. The argument for the repeal of prohibition was that legalizing and taking liquor sales offered better control and lawful jobs.

During the Great Depression, President Franklin D. Roosevelt tried to help solve economic problems by raising money for the federal government from alcohol taxes and tariffs.