St. Louis Celebrates 75th Year Since Prohibition

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St. Louis Celebrates 75th Year Since Prohibition

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uploaded by BMCWrites

While many Americans are marking the 75th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition on beer in the United States today, no one is doing more to commemorate the event than the folks at Anheuser-Busch World Headquarters in St. Louis.

An A-B news release about the commemoration recalls the events of April 6-7,1933:

On the night of April 6, 1933, more than 25,000 St. Louisans, representing the hopes and dreams of American workers, long since home from the war and demoralized by the Great Depression, gathered with eager hearts and tin cups in hand to once again sip the bittersweet nectar of Budweiser, a sensation unknown to them for 14 years.

As the clock atop the brewhouse showed one minute past midnight on April 7, 1933, sirens and steam whistles sounded, the large wooden doors of the brewery’s Bevo bottling plant opened to the cheers of the thirsty, and 55 trucks laden with America’s favorite brew rolled out into the night, delivering the first cases of post-Prohibition Budweiser to the masses.

The airwaves echoed with the charming voice of August A. Busch, Jr., who spoke to the nation through a special radio broadcast via KMOX CBS Radio, welcoming the return of beer saying “Beer is back!” and restoring confidence in American industry during the Depression. “April the 7th is here and it is a real occasion for thankfulness marking a newfound freedom for the American people made possible by the wisdom, foresight, and courage of a great President and the cooperation of an understanding Congress,” Busch proclaimed.

Simultaneously, the Budweiser neon-lit clock in New York’s Times Square rang out with the tune, “Happy Days Are Here Again.”

In addition to special events taking place today in St. Louis, the leading American brewer opened a new historical exhibit at Anheuser-Busch’s St. Louis tour center that included more than 50 rare Prohibition-era items. Artifacts on display include photos, bottles and advertisements for Prohibition-period products, as well as a video tribute to the events of April 7, 1933.

Anheuser-Busch annually celebrates the repeal of Prohibition on April 7, the day the Cullen-Harrison Act took effect, legalizing the sale of 3.2% alcohol by volume beer in the District of Columbia and the 20 states in which state laws did not prohibit its sale. Though the national repeal of Prohibition for all forms of alcohol did not become finalized until December 5, April 7, will always mark the most significant anniversary in the American beer industry.

[Note: Unless you count O’Doul’s, the non-alcoholic brew produced by A-B, I’m not a beer drinker and don’t encourage the consumption of alcoholic products. As a St. Louis-area resident, however, I couldn’t ignore this occasion which marks a date so important to the economic history and future of the Gateway City.]

-- Bob McCarty Writes