Inside this issue:

InCider Press
Newsletter of the Manhattan, Kansas chapter
of the

The chapter and chorus meet  every Thursday evening at 7:30 p.m. at the First Methodist Church Activity Center
on the corner of Poyntz and  6th Street, Manhattan, Kansas.

Our ivory colored summer shirts are adorned with a bright red apple and, of course, we are known as the Little Apple Chorus.  In 1977, Manhattan Kansas adopted the nickname ‘The Little Apple’ after the larger Manhattan in New York became known as ‘The Big Apple’.  You might be interested in how the Big Apple came to be (which explains how we came to be as well) since it has a musical connection

In the ‘30’s and ‘40’s there was a popular jazz club located at 135^th and 7^th Ave in New York’s Harlem called The Big Apple.   It was a popular club with huge crowds each night.  The music started early and played late.  Top name ‘big bands’ played there as well as many ‘pick up’ bands.   It was a trend setter for music of that time and most aspiring musicians hoped one day to be able to play ‘The Big Apple’.  African Americans that frequented the Big Apple began to describe the ultimate top experience, including their city-New York- as the ultimate or ‘The Big Apple’.

In the 1930’s a columnist for New York’s Morning Telegraph newspaper, John ‘Jack’ Fitzgerald  began to write a horse-racing column and used the title ‘Around the  Big Apple’ - using the term he heard black stablemen and groomers around the racetracks call New York.  There were a few references to the Big Apple in that time including a short movie released in 1938 featuring an all-black cast.  However, soon the term was generally forgotten.

In 1970 then New York mayor John Lindsay encouraged the convention and visitor’s bureau to promote New York as a vacation destination. The bureau came up with a bumper sticker logo - I (Heart) NY – which was widely popular (and often imitated). They also adopted a nickname that was initially ‘Fun City’ but it was widely derided by most New Yorkers.  In desperation they wanted to stress something that was colorful, wholesome, and enjoyable and someone remembered ‘The Big Apple’ from years ago.   It became an immediate hit and a big apple adorned lapel pins, buttons, shopping bags, refrigerator magnets, and bumper stickers.

So, that’s how the Big Apple was born and how Manhattan, Kansas became the Little Apple.    As a bit of trivia, we have several Manhattan civic leaders in our chorus. A former mayor, a former mayor’s spouse, and a municipal judge are all members of our chorus.

Chuck Marr ♪

How did we become the Little Apple Chorus?

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