How many remember the 1969 8 day convention? (page 2)

Gopher

Seek2find -- The first Bible drama was at the 1967 conventions. I remember it because of the place my family went that year, which was an overcrowded auditorium in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. (We had to listen to part of the convention in a car, from a loudspeaker !!)

drew sagan

I've heard about those, they sounded like they where just terrible.

But of course we can't forget that there were many more people in the orgaization at that time that chose to become JW than there are now. They where much more excited about the whole thing than the folk in the org today.

Mary

I was just a kid, but yep, I remember the 1969 Internation Convention. We were assigned to the one in Buffalo, NY. Anyone that was there probably remembers that 'Hell' had new meaning after enduring 8 daze (ya, I spelled that right) of pure misery at that shithole. Hotter than hell, toilets weren't working, sitting out in the bleachers hour after hour roasting to death........

PEC

I remember the crappy motel and that my mother would make the bed everyday before left for the stadium. The maids must have ~~thought~~ known the JWs were nuts.

Philip

hemp lover

"I was 13 in NYC at Yankee Stadium."

I was there, too, except I was only two years old, so no memories to share. I've only seen pictures and damn, but I was cute!

startingover

Been there done that.

If they had conventions like that today, I suspect the numbers would be dropping much more than they already are. Looking back, what the hell did they talk about for 8 days 9am-9pm?

Lady Lee

Min

OMG Maybe we were sitting near each other.

I was 17 and remember nothing at all about the sessions.

What I do remeber is

burned cars along the roads,
dirt everywhere
homeless sleeping in the gutters and beside the buildings

We stayed at someone's apartment in the Bronx. It was unbelievable:

rats the size of cats in the hallways
seven locks on the door and a bar to brace the door closed
roaches - OMG the roaches at least an inch long and everywhere - I mean everywhere

the woman was sitting at the kitchen table eating andf the roaches were crawling into her plate. She just flicked them away like they were flies
in the bathroom sink - my mother asked for a pail so we could wash up and the woman gave us the pail she used to wash the floors - it was cleaner than the sink
the toilet was disgusting and also filled with roaches
the toilet paper had roaches crawling all over it
in the bedroom
when we would go out in the morning we piled all our luggage on a chair and srayed all around it. When we got home we unpacked in the bathtub so if we brought any home with us we could see them before they got away

the ceiling in the bathroom leaked from upstairs and was leaking right over the toilet. The woman had an invered umbrella set up over the toilet to catch the water and said that sometimes it would tip over
the subways were so packed that we just stood there and the crowd just carried us in. One of my brothers got separated from us for a few minutes which was really scary. Another brother couldn't breathe because of all the people crowded around him

Gopher

I also remember long lines to get the hot food in the tents outside. The food was the best part, and pretty good organization to feed over 40,000 people.

I remember eating there. The food was pretty good. One day we were talking to a family from Africa - that was kewl.

bernadette

8 days finishing at 9pm???????

Yup Morning, noon and night sessions - and we thought we were spiritually well fed

DJK

I was 13. We were at Buffalo. Bussed in school busses with no AC from Canada, where we camped, day and night. There were many witnesses robbed after the meetings and a few women were raped.

BluesBrother

1969 Wembley Stadium London, It rained cats and dogs the first day, all the walkways got totally gridlocked and we just stood still until the attendandants got it clear . What was said on the programme ? I haven't a clue.

In fact I beleive that one was seven days and the "Around the World Assembly " of 1963 was eight days, but I could be wrong..It was all a long time ago.

RubaDub

I was 13 in NYC at Yankee Stadium. All I remember is that I was hot and those damn little battery operated fans do nothing for you in 90 degree heat and oppressive humidity.

Minimus ...

I was a few years younger but still vividly remember those fans. Guys were selling them outside the stadium along with the see-thru bible covers.

My parents always wanted to be as close as possible to the stage so we always ended up in the full-sun areas that later got soaked when the evening rains began.

Then, at 9PM when it was over (provided Bro Franz wasn't the last speaker) we had to fight to get to the subway for an hour and a half ride. The subways didn't have air conditioning but just windows open with ancient-looking ceiling fans.

Oh what fun.

Rub a Dub

How many remember the 1969 8 day convention?

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