St. Paul's annual Rondo Days will kick off Friday, July 12, at the newly refurbished Union Depot with a salute to the Red Caps, the train-station porters from a bygone era of train travel.
The men who worked at the job carried luggage to and from the trains and their work was described as "a fundamental and essential part of the travel in and through Saint Paul Union Depot," according to Rondo Days organizers:
Red Caps worked long and hard for their living, sometimes receiving wages for other duties and always relying on tips. Success depended upon serving as many passengers as possible with kindness, a smile and a willingness to help ease the burden of travel. While some Red Caps worked only out of necessity, and disliked the menial implications attached to their work, most took immense pride in serving passengers, especially those having physical limitations or who were unfamiliar with trains or the city.
The 1 p.m. ceremony at the Depot will be the public dedication of the Depot's Red Cap room, a banquet room that can be rented for up to 150 guests.
On hand will be James Melvin Young, who worked as a Red Cap for 20 years, and Melvin Carter, Sr., who worked as a Red Cap for 14 years.
Carter's daughter, Ramsey County Commissioner Toni Carter, will lead the dedication ceremony. (Carter Sr.'s grandson, Melvin Carter III, is a former St. Paul City Council member.)
Organizers for Rondo Days, the annual festival that remembers the St. Paul avenue that was razed to make way for I-94 as it bisects the city, also have invited former Red Caps, their families and friends to a private reception in the banquet room later on Friday.
There's a plan to install a plaque in the room with the names of former St. Paul Red Caps.
Rihanna Katy Perry Grammys 2013 Fun ll cool j Presidents Day 2013 jack white wiz khalifa
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.