The emergence of vote-for-me signs along the roadway and at the voting sites go hand-in-hand with the informational advertisements we read in local publications, receive in the mail, and those filling up our email inboxes.  Of course, today we also

Leading the State Democratic Victory Parade through The Valley was Huberta Earle, pictured with her hus- band, and Governor Elect George Earle.

have those dreaded "robocalls" and texts that interrupt our meals and personal time.

            We tolerate the deluge of information while we seek our own sources for clarity on the candidates through our own sources and our own time.

            What would the reaction be from the politically correct, if traffic in all three of the upper end boroughs was disrupted one evening for a large-scale celebration by a winning party?  How detailed would the investigations by the losing party hacks be to check if any tax dollars were spent on such a gala?

            Well, back in 1933 Pennsylvania was considered a rock-hard Republican stronghold.  The Upper Perkiomen Valley was considered an oasis of loyal Democrats who kept the rest of Montgomery County from spilling over too much into the red column.  It had been 44 years since a Democrat held the highest seat in Harrisburg.  Not only that, but the Republicans held the United States Senatorial seat for the previous 59 years!  In spite of that record, area voters maintained their allegiance to the Democratic Party.

Taking part in the victory parade was the East Green- ville band riding in a horse-drawn wagon supplied  by Augustus Spaar of Hereford,.  The Pennsburg  Fire Company Fife and Drum Corps and the Red Hill band also took part in the parade.

            Much of that changed in the Commonwealth in 1934 when voters sent a strong message to Harrisburg and Washington, DC in support of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and sent Democrats George Earle to the Governor's mansion and Joseph Guffey to Capitol Hill.

            To say that the majority of the voters in the Upper Perkiomen Valley were elated would be a tremendous understatement.  So happy were they, that a "monster" parade was held to celebrate the end of the Democrat's drought.  It would be called the "State Democratic Victory Parade" and would take a place of prominence among the greatest parades ever held around here.

            Organizing the parade were several happy Democrats.  Pennsburg Democratic Committeeman John Borntrager was named Chairman of the Parade.  Justice of the Peace Ernest J. Bitting was selected as chairman of the Pennsburg marchers. Wilmer G. Dimmig chaired the East Greenville contingent, and Russell Moser was picked to lead the Red Hill folks. 

            Newspaper accounts heralded the parade as "eclipsing anything of its kind in the history of the community."  The parade stepped off at 7 p.m. in East Greenville.  It moved on to Pennsburg where it picked up that town's contingent of marchers at the firehouse.  The parade continued down Main Street to the Red Hill firehouse, where it picked up that borough's parade-goers.  At the height of the parade, it was more than two miles long!

After the parade, Pennsburg Democratic Committeewoman Maude Kneule, and  owner of the Pennsburg Hotel, hosted a crowd gathered around the large porch of  the hotel where Huberta Earle spoke to the people and thanked them for their sup- port of the Democratic Party.

            Fire companies opened up their social quarters and barrooms along the parade route and doled out free beer for the occasion.  The parade route was decorated with posters of a sick elephant, with its trunk dragging and its tail tucked between its legs. 

            The wife of the Governor-elect, Huberta Earle, led the parade.  She rode in a "beautifully decorated car."  Among those riding with the Commonwealth's future First Lady was Pennsburg Democratic Committeewoman Maude Kneule.  Maude hosted Earle and others in her party on their visit to the region. 

            At Third and Jefferson streets in East Greenville, florist Leon Pennypacker presented her with a "gorgeous bouquet" of flowers.

            Musical organizations in the line of the parade included the East Greenville Band, riding in a horse-drawn wagon supplied by Augustus Spaar of Hereford, the Pennsburg Fire Company Fife and Drum Corp, and the Red Hill Band.

            Grand Marshal for the parade was Pennsburg Burgess E. J. Weider.  The individual marshals from each borough were Frank Merkel, of East Greenville, Ernest Bitting, of Pennsburg and Constable Henry Genszler, of Red Hill.  Each rode a colorfully decorated horse.

            The procession included fire trucks and many other splendidly decorated wagons and automobiles.  School children paraded along with local Girl and Boy Scout groups, who carried flares to light up the night. 

            When the parade was over, most of the crowd gathered around the large porch of Kneule's Pennsburg Hotel.  There, Huberta Earle spoke to the people and thanked them for their "staunch support" of the Democratic Party.  

            The parade was not without its problems.  During the procession a horse, ridden by Warren Schantzenbach, was spooked and plunged into a crowd of onlookers and injured four parade watchers.  Fortunately, neither Schantzenbach, Mrs. Jacob Keyser, Mrs. Charles Fox, Mr. and Mrs. Russell Bauman nor the young son of William Kerschner were seriously injured. 

            For years the parades were held to celebrate victory for the candidates and to mark the closing of the election season.