60 Years German International School Washington DC

Looking back to the 1960s

Did you know . . .

On November 23, 1967, traffic officers in front of the German Embassy on Reservoir Road shook their heads in disbelief.  They were amazed and somewhat frustrated at the volume of traffic during the opening of the German School Christmas Bazaar. Police had to direct countless visitors to parking lots several blocks away from the Embassy. A “veritable migration" had begun to assemble even before Mary Jane Wirtz, the wife of the U.S. Secretary of Labor Willard Wirtz, cut the ribbon at the entrance to Schurz Auditorium.

Although the visitors politely applauded the dances and Christmas carols performed by the students,  the masses, eager to buy Christmas gifts, pushed their way to the well-stocked booths. Those who did not make it at the first attempt tried their luck in the cafeteria with coffee, cake and sausages. But here, too, there were bottlenecks. Embassy trolleys flitted non-stop in the various directions to provide supplies, but even the last pastry and the last knockwurst eventually ran out. No one had expected such an overwhelming response to the bazaar.

Many local newspapers and television stations reported on the bazaar.  Nobody officially counted the visitors, but they were estimated cautiously at a few thousand. The sum of the proceeds of the sales benefitted the newly founded German School, and organizers were very grateful for the surprising turnout. The tireless efforts, enthusiasm, and diligence of many volunteers from the German community had made the bazaar an enormous success.