Please verify all your contact information. If I have entered anything incorectly please email me Here
Please verify all your contact information. If I have entered anything incorectly please email me Here
1939-40 City League Softball team members after games used to pick one of our local pubs and meet for a few cold ones. In those days there was a song going around, "Drink Juggle Up," and when sung you were supposed to pick up your glass and drink until it was empty while you team mates sang, "Juggle Up, So Drink Juggle Up."
Fred Harder, known to a lot of people at the time as "Colonel Puff Puff," along with Juke VanDeVelde, Stick stadler, Bill Nicolai, and the Voght brothers, Ken and Bernie, came up with the idea of forming a club. It caught on real fast and grew so fast that some local pubs could not handle the large group. When WWII came along the club had to be dropped.
1945-46 most of us were returning from the "Big One". The 52-50 club was the "in" thing. All ex-service men could collect twenty dollars a week for 52 weeks. Down to the unemployment, collect your $20 check and on to the "Blue Rock" and "Drink Juggle Up," once more became popular.
The club was formed again and grew rapidly, moving the meetings to the "Van Ross Hotel." By-Laws, charter, Etc., declared the purpose was to sponsor local sports, baseball, basketball, bowling teams. Then came football, three club members, Ken Voght, Homer VanHollenbeck, and Stick Stadler each donated $100 for equipment and a very successful Semi=Pro football team was formed which even played the "Detroit Lions" in a benefit game, the score.... well lets go on with our story.
It was at about this time in a meeting downstairs, Medea Hotel the name Jugs was picked for the football team, and the Juggle Up club was was well known for its support of sports through-out Macomb County and the State.
As years went by, many of us married, raised families, etc., and just shortly after moving the club to the City of Mount Clemens "Old Bathing Beach" the club was disbanded in 1953(?).
We regret that due to the lack of records we may have missed someone important or omitted a story or two. As Fred Harder said during an interview, "Hell that was 42 years ago".
August 18, 1982
We all remember the old saying about a "Cold Day in Hell." Well it was a cold day in March 1947 when I recieved a phone call from Ed Stadler, at that time Vice President of the First National Bank in Mount Clemens. He asked me to walk over to his office which I did. After a hearty greeting, with a hand shake, he asked me if the number 363 meant anything to me. I thought a while and told him that 363 did not ring a bell. The next day I recieved another phone call from Ed, went to his office, and he said he had a deposit bag, number 363, registered to the Jugs. Inside the bag was $501.00 in moldy cash. He could not explain how the bag had become lost in the vault but he said it was ours (The Juggle-UP Club). After I signed for the money I called Juke VanDeVelde, Bill Nicolai, Bud Vernier, and Ed roberts.
We discussed giving our newly found welth to a charity, but whick one? After a lengthy discussion, Juke said, "Hell how about having a free outing for all past members and members of the football team." A brilliant idea! A committee was formed and they mailed post cards to all parties involved. We chose the Huron Point Sportsmen's Club as our meeting place and selected the third Saturday of September for the outing. About 60 people attended the first outing.
I cannot remember the fellows who planned the menu but it was out of this world. Roast beef, ham, potatoes, and fresh corn on the cob, mixed with an assortment of beverages. At that time, Blatz was our favorite, thanks to Homer.
The day went on with a little c ar playing, softball game, horseshoes, volleyball, and snake eyes.
As the outing came to an end, everyone wanted to have another party the following year. So be it. We voted to hold an annual outing with Juke VanDeVelde as our first president, "President for a Day." Every year since, the outing has improved. Membership is limited to 100 members and we now have a waiting list of approximately 32 applicants.
Today, on our 25th Anniversary, I pray that the weather will be as beautiful as it was in our last year's group picture. I also pray that most of us will see the 30th and 40th anniversaries.
Have a good time.
Al Schunke