JORDAN PATTERSON
Special to the Leader
In the Reed Library, on Oct. 1, a tradition from 1987 will once again return to the Fredonia campus. This event that is inspired by the Marx Brothers disappeared for 29 years until its return in 2009.
Freedonia Marxonia is an event celebrating the works of the Marx brothers from the 1930s. After the initial four year run from 1987–90, Freedonia Marxonia was revived in 2009 by original founders Doug Canham and Karen West. In 2010, the Hahn family’s contributions cemented the preservation of Freedonia Marxonia.
At 3 p.m. this Thursday, there will be a free exhibit in Reed Library, where the theme this year is “Music and the Marx Brothers.” The exhibit will display the history of this event, the art contest, and the history of the Marx brothers. Birthday cake will be served in honor of Groucho Marx’s birthday.
After announcing the winner of the art contest and giving out cash prizes the event will migrate across the hall. At 7 p.m. in McEwen Hall G24, a screening of “Duck Soup,” the movie that sparked controversy and the inspiration behind event, will be shown.
The following day on Oct 2 at 12 p.m., the monthly “Lunch with the Times” will be providing food in the garden at Reed Library, where Doug Canham, post-graduate of Fredonia and founder of Freedonia Marxonia, will be speaking.
At 7:30 p.m., the 1891 Fredonia Opera House will be showing “A Night at the Opera,” a Marx Brothers movie made in 1935. People who attend the Fredonia Opera House event are encouraged to dress up like the Marx Brothers and participate in the Marx Brothers trivia contest.
An event that finally has an eternal home here at Fredonia started from a conversation between a Dean and a student. This conversation then led to an idea, an idea that was initially laughed at when it was first proposed by Doug Canham in 1986 at the Futures of Fredonia event.
In 1986, Canham interviewed the entire Business Club Department, searching for new ideas of events they could hold.
“Back then, everything was about sports, so we wanted to do something different,” Canham said.
After a talk with the Dean and doing his own research, Canham learned that in 1933, a movie by Marx Brothers called “Duck Soup” featured a fictitious town called “Freedonia.”
According to Reference Librarian Cynthia Yochym, second year coordinator of this event, the mayor of Fredonia at the time, Harry B. Hickey, wrote a letter to the Marx Brothers, stating his displeasure with their use of the name “Freedonia.” The Marx Brothers refused to change the name, with Groucho Marx replying, “Change the name of your town.”
People who are planning on attending can “learn about something that was once a secret, that Fredonia was involved in a scandalous thing in the ‘30s,” and “learn about the history of the Marx Brothers,” said Canham.
Yochym and Canham both emphasized that all the events are free and that it is a great way to learn about the connection that Fredonia has with the Marx Brothers.