September 10, 2007

Dear General Drew,

I heard that Neewollah is celebrating its 50th year but I thought it was started in 1919 so why is Neewollah just now celebrating this milestone?

Confused

Dear Confused,

You are correct that Neewollah was originated in 1919 by the city fathers and community leaders to be a practical and attractive alternative to the vandalism occurring during trick and treating. The first Neewollah was modest but well supported. Downtown merchants were asked to contribute to the one-day affair consisting of a rodeo, a parade and a Neewollah queen. By 1920, some of the activities were moved from the rodeo ground to Memorial Hall, which had just been built in 1916 as a community hall.

During the 1920’s the celebration grew by leaps and bounds but began to wane. By 1930, in the midst of The Great Depression, it was cancelled. Attempts were made to revive the celebration but with the onset of World War ll, the celebration remained dormant. After the war, a small-scale attempt to revive Neewollah was once more attempted but there was little interest and no money to restart it. The modern day history of Neewollah actually began in 1958 when a handful of young businessmen developed a blueprint that was formatted for the revival and collaboration of the Neewollah festival, therefore making this year the 50th consecutive celebration of Neewollah.

This year’s 50th consecutive Neewollah will be a celebration of Neewollah’s past and future. There will be special events to help celebrate this year’s festival. Special street acts, carnival give-a-ways, reunions, the Clydesdales, Marine Corp Band, and fantastic entertainment are all in the planning to make this year’s Neewollah truly a "Golden Anniversary".

Sincerely,
Drew Demo
Generalissimo 2007