WHERE WE COULD GET BEER

CHERISHING OUR VALLEY                          2013

       When I was a high school boy, exploring Los Angeles was a big thing for me and my pals. Just as today, the city offered amazing things for us to see and do. On one school holiday, we visited the yet to be consecrated Morman temple off of Santa Monica Boulevard and the new Busch Gardens in north Van Nuys. Busch Gardens won our vote because we were able to score free beer there. The other place in the Valley where one could get a glass or two of free beer was the Schlitz Brewery near the railroad tracks in Panorama City.

       In the 50's and 60's singing beer songs was very much a part of going to college. Most people who went to Valley or Pierce College, or San Fernando Valley State have beer mugs gathering dust in their dens today. 

        My high school pals, Alex, Leo, Danny and I convinced ourselves that our German and Irish roots gave us the god-given right to drink beer. A miracle happened when our buddy Bert discovered that German restaurants never "carded" people when they ordered beer with dinner........ so, this set in motion the discovery of a whole bunch of European restaurants in the city. One of those restaurants changed my life; it was called Frank's Little Vienna in what is now Valley Village (then in North Hollywood.)

        Frank's Little Vienna was an absolutely marvelous place. Mrs Frank's Vienna? was a terrific baker and made the most incredible strudel imaginable! The restaurant has a grand piano and old time Austrians and Germans, and other Europeans, came for the schnitzel and to sing. There were visiting violinists and cellists, and then (about 11 pm) opera singers and musicians would arrive. Can you imagine, Notre Dame High School boys listening to, and talking with, the world famous Danish tenor Laurence Melchior or the great French soprano Lily Pons --- and being able to order beer as well!

           Like all boyish explortions, sometimes our adventures got a little scary. For example our pal Leo discovered Paul von Hindenburg Park on the border between La Crescenta and Glendale. On Sundays, after Catholic Masses and Lutheran services were over, beer trucks arrived and kegs were rolled down to the cheers of the crowd. Little did we know that the park had once been the site of pro-Nazi rallies before World War II. For my pals and me, it meant a place to buy giant hot dogs covered in sour kraut and cheap, very cold beer. One Sunday, we heard United States Senator Thomas Kuchel give a very animated speech in German. I don't speak German so I had no idea of what he was storming about, but the oompah band was wonderful and a large lady taught me how to polka.

There is a legend that the von Hindenburg statue was torn apart revealing hidden weapons inside. 

Monorail Tour - Busch Gardens - Postcard - Gift to The Museum of the San Fernando Valley from Gary Fredburg 2013. (click on the image to enlarge it.) 

"A thrilling and dramatic ride through the Los Angeles Home of Anheuser Busch Brewrey. Visitors will enjoy the custom designed, electrically operated "Skyrail Tour" monorail trains. The 3,500 foot ride is the most unique method for guests to view the brewery operations that produce Budweiser, Michelob and Busch Bavarian."

          Busch Gardens closed to the public around 1979. The Budweiser plant, sold to a Belgian corporation, still makes high quality beers there.  For a decade after the Gardens closed, people in Northridge and Granada Hills encountered wonderful exotic birds in their back yards. Today, my beer mugs are full of pennies.

 Share your photographs of Busch Gardens with future generations.

Donate tax-deductible memorabilia to your Museum today.

The Museum of the San Fernando Valley

Acquisitions Committee
21031 Ventura Blvd., Suite 419
Woodland Hills, CA 91364-2230

THE MUSEUM’S TELEPHONE
1 (818) 347-9665

THE MUSEUM'S EMAILS
gerald.fecht@TheMuseumSFV.org
info@TheMuseumSFV.org

THE MUSEUM’S BLOG

www.museumsanfernandovalley.blogspot.com/

THE MUSEUM’S WEBSITE

www.TheMuseumSFV.org

PALM ISLAND POSTCARD COMPLETES SET

MY VALLEY    MY MUSEUM      MY STORY

After I published images of The Museum's collection of vintage Busch Gardens post card, we received this card of Palm Island. The donor, Jim O., said, "I've had this card around forever, and when I saw your blog's feature on Busch Gardens, I knew where it belongs."

BUSCH GARDENS WAS A HOLIDAY DESTINATION IN THE NORTH SAN FERNANDO VALLEY

CHERISHING OUR VALLEY   2012

In the mid 1960s, Anheuser-Busch opened its famous Busch Gardens in northern Van Nuys. The gardens were an outgrowth of the Busch family's personal gardens in Pasadena. For many years, after the closing of the gardens in 1979, exotic birds visited homes in the north and west San Fernando Valley. 

 

Busch Bavarian Pavilion - 3000 tons of feather rock was used to form the lagoon. Postcards - Gift to The Museum of the San Fernando Valley from Gary Fredburg 2012.  (click on image to enlarge)

 Budweiser Pavilion where visitors were allowed to taste sample of beer.

World famous Clydesdale Horses originally from Scotland. Each horse weighed about 2,000 pounds and about 6 feet tall.

 

 Flamingo Island used for the display, care and breeding of beautiful pink birds.

 Monorail feature of Busch Gardens.

 Trained parrots were a major feature of the Busch Gardens' experience.

THE MUSEUM’S MAILING ADDRESS

The Museum of the San Fernando Valley
21031 Ventura Blvd., Suite 419
Woodland Hills, CA 91364

MUSEUM’S TELEPHONE         1 (818) 347-9665

MUSEUM’S BLOG

http://museumsanfernandovalley.blogspot.com/

MUSEUM’S WEBSITE

www.TheMuseumSFV.org

MUSEUM MEETS JULY 22

2009 - The Year of Valley History

Clydesdales at Busch Gardens 1976 - Photograph and news release gift from Gary Fredburg to the Archives of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley 2009

The next meeting of the combined Boards of Directors and Advisors of The Museum will be on July 22, 2009. Location: The 2nd floor Board Room - Economic Alliance 5121 Van Nuys Boulevard, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
6 to 8 pm. Parties interested in being part of The Museum's agenda should telephone: 1 (818) 347-9665

The famous Anheuser - Busch Clydesdale horses were exhibited in the "Old Saint Louis" section of Busch Gardens on August 14th and 15th, 1976.

The San Fernando Valley, in the heart of the Creative Capital of the world, deserves a great Museum of history and culture.

BUDWEISER - A MAJOR PART OF VALLEY HISTORY

2009 - The Year of Valley History

In the early 1950s, the Anheuser-Busch Company's decision to build a major brewery in the San Fernando Valley created a major boost to the economy of the Valley and Southern California. Hundreds of construction workers and business suppliers shared in the infusion of over $20,000,000.
Budweiser Plant - vintage postcard - Gift of Gary Fredburg 2009 - The Museum of the San Fernando Valley (click on image to enlarge)

In 1952 popular beers in America were still being made, very much, in European traditions. Companies like Budweiser prided themselves, not only on the quality of their products, but a sense of "family" among their workers.
border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319830669470147138" /> Budweiser Brewing Building - vintage postcard - Gift of Gary Fredburg 2009 - The Museum of the San Fernando Valley (click on image to enlarge)

One of the great traditions of German breweries was the presence of nearby beer gardens. The sports complex next to the Budweiser plant in Saint Louis, Missouri is an example of that tradition. Busch Gardens next to the San Fernando Valley brewery became a major landmark in Los Angeles and remained such until the end of the 1970s. Old timers in the north Valley still tell stories of visits to their backyards of exotic birds on holiday from Busch Gardens.

Busch Gardens - vintage postcard - Gift of Gary Fredburg 2009 - The Museum of the San Fernando Valley (click on image to enlarge)

Fred Berk, Librarian of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley, wants to remind you to donate your vintage postcards of the San Fernando Valley (or, allow The Museum to scan and utilize your collection). Call 1 (818) 347-9665

The San Fernando Valley, in the heart of the Creative Capital of the World, deserves a great Museum of history and culture.