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It was a seasonal blustery cold day when the Brownsdale Study Club met on Nov. 19 at the home of Mary Kidwiler Moritz.

President Shelley Vogel called the meeting to order the reading of the Collect.

Roll call found five members present for “An unusual or silly picture.”

The secretary’s and treasurer’s reports were approved.

Under old business, donations have been made to the Mower County Historical Society and the Brownsdale Pickle ball court. The outing to Winona was very enjoyable.

Under new business, Barb Swanson will take Christmas cards to the residents of the Legacy as well as some former Study Club members.

Next month we will meet at Therese Manggaard’s home at noon. She is also in charge of the outside reading and the main topic.

Rena Perrigo made a motion to adjourn, seconded by Barb.

Shelley presented the outside reading, “Fruitcake.” Recipes for fruitcake varied greatly in different countries throughout the ages, depending on the available ingredients. It is a cake made with candied or dried fruit, nuts and spices and optionally soaked in spirits. It is commonly served during the Christmas season. Often ridiculed, fruitcake is also considered a derogatory term for people who are considered weak, strange, or insane.

Barb presented the main topic, “Crazy Black Friday Facts.” The term Black Friday refers to the Wall Street crash in the 1800s. Families have started a tradition of commencing their holiday shopping on Black Friday. Prior to 2001, the Saturday before Christmas was the busiest shopping day of the year. Now it is the day after Thanksgiving. Besides the United States, Black Friday deals are common in Canada, France, The Netherlands, The UK, India, Norway, Spain and more.

Mary’s blast from the past November 1924:

The first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade was held.

Dion O’Bannon, American mobster and leader of Chicago’s North Side Gang, was murdered in his flower shop which was a front for bootlegging and organized crime.

Astrologist Edwin Hubble discovered that Andromeda, previously identified as a Nebula, was actually another galaxy outside of our own Milky Way.

Mary served a scrumptious apple pie and ice cream.

Therese Manggaard, secretary.