Hi, I'm Christy McDonald.

And here's what's the head on "One Detroit Arts and Culture" this week.

The City of Champions head back in time when Detroit sports rained 33 championships in a single year.

Also coming up, our next Religious Diversity Journey takes us to Canton to learn about Hinduism and as part of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, see the art of pounding rice to celebrate the new year with the Japanese American Citizens League.

It's all this week on "One Detroit Arts and Culture".

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(upbeat music) Hi there and welcome to one Detroit, I'm Christy McDonald.

Thanks so much for being with me.

We have a full show celebrating the unique cultural experiences and history in the Detroit Area.

Coming up this week, we're heading back in time when Detroit was the City of Champions.

How 1935 gave way to the sports legacy we have today as one of the greatest sports towns in the country.

Plus our Religious Diversity Journeys.

This time we had to Canton and learn more about Hinduism.

And then as a way to recognize Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, the art of pounding rice for the new year.

It's a mochitsuki celebration with the Japanese American Citizens League.

But we're starting by heading back in time when Detroit was officially named the City of Champions.

And it marked the sports season in 1935 through 1936, when the Lions and Tigers and the Wings all won their championships as well as the rise of boxer, Joe Louis.

There's even a designated City of Champions Day which is April 18th.

One Detroit senior producer, Bill Kubota has more on how one Detroit sports season gave rise to Detroit's dominance as one of the greatest sports towns in America.

Well, Bill Acorn, he found this plaque at a fair up on Armada, a swap meet.

He brought it down to me and asked if I could get it reconditioned, which I did.

It's got the signature of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and it's got the signature of every single Governor of all the, at that point, 48 states.

BILL: This swap meet discovery made back in the 1980s.

The plaque dates to 1936, a salute to the athletes of Detroit.

The woman who sold it didn't offer much information.

How she got it, I don't know, but she wanted to get rid of it.

And Bill paid her $30 for it.

We gave it to the Historical Museum as it should be.

And I'm not sure if any of us ever really understood what it was.

BILL: The plaque, it went down to storage, which brings us to the state of Detroit sports today.

The Lions last again, the Tigers, Red Wings and Pistons, they're at the bottom now too.

Makes us think of headier times like 13 years ago, when the Wings last took the Stanley Cup.

Four years before that the Pistons won their last championship.

But the Tigers, stunningly bad that year.

The last time the Tigers were champs, 37 years ago.

The Lions, 63 years, way back before the Super Bowl started.

But there was a magical moment when all the Detroit teams were winners all at the same time.

Charles Avison's written books spreading the word of when we were the City of Champions.

The season 1935-36.

It actually says City of Champions, right on the newspaper.

What the season has is the Tigers, Lions, Red Wings, first championships, same season.

You can see in the bottom left hand corner, Joe Louis.

This is the year that Joe Louis rises from an unknown fighter to an international superstar.

We have Eddie Tolan for sprinting.

BILL: The world's fastest human.

This was before Jesse Owens.

CHARLES: We have Gar Wood.

BILL: The speed boat king.

CHARLES: We have Walter Hagen.

BILL: Pro golfer.

Women's tennis or we have billiards.

And this is just 21 of the 33 championships from the season.

Every one of these athletes contributed to the rise of Detroit from a baseball town that had never even won a World Series to one of the great sports towns in the country in only a single year.

BILL: Ty Cobb took the Tigers to the World Series three times but they lost them all, the last time in 1909.

Detroit had been a boom town in the 1920s.

It was like Silicon Valley.

A lot of new money, a lot of people were flush with capital.

The Dodge Brothers and Henry Ford, Chrysler but the depression hit Detroit probably harder than it hit most American cities.

So people needed something to feel positive about.

And in 1935-36, they had a lot to cheer.

Boxing was in a bad way in 1935.

There was no true superstars.

1934, nobody knew who Joe Louis was, complete unknown.

Joe was not actually a champion yet but he was on the verge and everyone knew that Joe Louis was the best fighter, heavyweight fighter in the world.

BILL: 14 matches in 1935, Joe Louis won them all.

The biggest in New York against former champion, Max Baer that September, on the same day Louis got married.

And it is one of the greatest fights you will ever see.

Joe Louis was the first universal African-American superstar.

And after the fight they asked Joe, "Hey, Joe, "where are you gonna go for your honeymoon?"

Joe says, "We gotta get back to Detroit.

"The Tigers are in the World Series.

BILL: The Tigers face the Chicago Cubs in the 35 series.

Detroit had been on a tear since 1934, all because of owner Frank Navin, Unlike all these other Major League owners the baseball team was sort of a fun diversion with their money, they made their money in other businesses.

Frank Navin's business was the Tigers.

BILL: Navin lost big in the stock market crash and suffered a heart attack in 1933.

Friends told him he should sell the team Frank Navin doesn't sell the team.

He takes a gamble, the biggest gamble of his life.

And rather than sell the team, he borrows $100,0000 and he goes out and pays to the Philadelphia Athletics and he gets Mickey Cochran.

BILL: Mickey Cochran took over as Tigers player manager.

Going into spring training of 1934, the media gets to Mickey Cochran and they ask him, "Hey, Mickey, "how you think the Tigers are gonna do this year?"

He says, "We're going to the World Series."

And he says to them, "You don't know how to win.

"It all starts with believing that you can do it."

BILL: Other than Cochran, there weren't many standout players.

Among them second baseman, Charlie Gehringer Gehringer was pretty much their only star.

BILL: Soon there'd be another, the first baseman from the Bronx.

As I got older, I learned more about the significance of Hank Greenberg as the Jewish cultural sports hero.

So it was 1934 was his first full season.

And he breaks out in the biggest way.

I mean, he was an absolute smasher in 1934 and 35 he wins the MVP.

You think about Detroit at the time, who was the most popular radio personality?

Father Charles Coughlin and Hank Greenberg is playing in this atmosphere in this city where an internationally known anti-Semitic priest is broadcasting anti-Jewish propaganda in Detroit.

BILL: The tigers lost in the last game of the 34 series to the St. Louis Cardinals.

Expectations ran high for 35.

And when they asked Mickey Cochran, "Hey, Mickey, "how do you think the tigers are gonna do this year?"

What do you think his answer is?

"We're going back and this time we're gonna win it.

"This time we're gonna win it."

BILL: Cochran, right again.

Beating the Cubs in six games, he even scored the winning run.

ANNOUNCER: The run, it wins the ball game and the World Series.

BILL: Detroit already had seen three failed NFL teams come and go.

The fourth arrived in 1934 from Portsmouth, Ohio.

George Richards bought them.

The guy who owned the Lions was the owner of WJR Radio.

The idea is to bring this talented team to Detroit, name them something along the lines of the Tigers, like to keep it that like, I don't know, maybe the Lions.

Their number one player whose name is Dutch Clark.

He was nicknamed the Ty Cobb of football.

So the idea is that there's a new Ty Cobb in Detroit but he doesn't play baseball.

You gotta come over to University of Detroit field and watch him play for this new team is called the Lions.

BILL: That first year brought a Detroit Thanksgiving tradition.

No TV yet, but on the radio coast to coast.

They finished near the top in 34.

In 35 they'd rally in the last five games to face the New York Giants.

They won the championship on a very cold, blustery day.

Not only did they fail to sell out their tickets but the people who bought them didn't show up.

BILL: The crowds did get bigger and the Lions would move to what would become Briggs Stadium.

Charles Avison's talking hockey for a "City Champions podcast".

We spent an entire episode talking about one of the most fascinating components in Detroit Redwing history, which has never been discussed.

It baffles me that people can be so fanatical about Detroit and Detroit sports but this just isn't on the radar.

This was the first group of guys who won a championship under the Red Wings banner.

And yet their numbers are not retired or names are not hung in the rafters of Little Caesar's arena.

Well, one guy who certainly deserves recognition of a retired jersey, and that would be Ebenezer Goodfellow from Fallowfield, Ontario.

Now how many people do you know, named Ebenezer?

It's unknown and I mean how can it be known?

The whole season's forgotten but in this particular case what we have is Ebbie Goodfellow is the captain of the team, the most revered Redwing.

One of the best players in the entire NHL, gives up his captaincy to Doug Young.

To force Doug Young into the spotlight and say, "Doug, you are a star.

"And we think you're such a star, "we want you to lead us as the captain of this team."

BILL: Ebbie Goodfellow, the guy who stepped up by stepping back.

Well, he was a good fellow.

You just can't beat the name.

Yeah, a good fellow.

BILL: The wings beat Toronto, the city celebrated again and again.

The Detroit Times actually threw this big banquet at the Masonic Temple in April of 1936 and declared Detroit the City of Champions.

Brought a lot of the players and coaches.

It was celebrated as the greatest gathering of champions under a single roof.

BILL: The Tigers, Wings, Lions, Joe Louis and others, they all came.

Since it was a Detroit times event, the news and the free press gave it scant coverage.

The awards were given and then everybody kind of forgot about it.

Things that happened in the twenties and the thirties, they sort of fade out unless there's good film and there's not much good film.

BILL: How does this story of champions live on?

You can find it at the big mall in Novi, an artist co-op store where Charles Avison's been selling and storing his books for the last decade.

So these books got shagged in the water, you can see these boxes are all wet.

BILL: A leak of some sort, one more thing to contend with.

Am I crazy?

Did I find this story and I'm the only one in the world that thinks this is important?

BILL: Sales are slow but will pick up at Christmas time.

A fine gift, but will people spend the time to read it?

Of course Charles wrote the book and then in 2012, Dave Bing re-instituted City of Champions day as April 18th.

And he tasked the Detroit Historical Society with keeping that history alive.

BILL: That includes the plaque Jim Nicholson brought to the museum those decades ago.

Nicholson says he's not a big sports fan but he's had season tickets for the Lions since the seventies Detroit is still a great sports town despite four really bad pro sports teams.

And a lot of people figure, "Oh, if we just hang on there'll be another Ebbie Goodfellow "or another Hank Greenberg to lift us "and carry us to the next championship."

Which might be decades away.

Detroit fans are pretty patient.

Turning now to our latest stop on our Religious Diversity Journeys.

It's part of our series that explores different faith communities here in Southeast Michigan.

And the program is part of the Interfaith Leadership Council of Metro Detroit, We get to learn through the eyes of students.

This week, we head to the Hindu Temple of Canton.

Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world.

(upbeat music) Hello.

My name is Venkatesha Hollabbi.

I am from the Hindu community based in Canton.

Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world with over 1.2 billion members.

So within Michigan, we are a growing community.

Right here in the Hindu temple of Canton, we are serving over 6,000 members.

Today we have Kennedy as our special guest, we are gonna take her through some aspects of Hindu religion.

You know, Hinduism is one of the most ancient religions of the world and I'm very excited for Kennedy to learn a few things about it.

Namaste, that's a greeting, is a traditional Hindu greeting.

When you fold hands, it is symbolizing that oneness, that the divinity in me is the same divinity in you.

We have a lot planned for you today, Kennedy, come on in.

We'll show you, namaste, you can do namaste.

(Hindu religious music) What is the most important thing for non-Hindus to know about your faith?

There's a lot of misconception about Hinduism, that we worship many gods.

However, it is important to know for non-Hindus that Hinduism is monotheistic.

Hindus believe that there is one absolute aspect of God called Brahman worshiped through many forms to facilitate what we call as freedom of worship and freedom from worship.

Hindus believe that God is one and the paths to reach him are many.

Are there any Hindu beliefs that are the most important?

Karma and Dharma are the most important aspects of Hinduism.

So the doctrine of karma provides this basis for reincarnation in the Hindu belief.

Dharma typically means that which holds together, that which integrate, holds the entire society together.

(man chanting) Mainly, worship this for the purification of the mind.

When we worship Goddess Durga during this time, we say to remove all of our negative tendencies.

Each of these Murtis represent an ideal behind that idol.

Rama, Lord Rama came down to this earth to show human beings how to be an ideal human being in all aspects of our lives.

(Hindu religious music) I think something unique about all Indian classical art forums is that it's a way to celebrate culture while also kind of helping us learn more about our religion.

And if you see with any Indian festival, it's a celebration and celebration of traditions.

And it's also very intertwined with any sort of religious festivals.

So for example, through dance, I can depict stories of Hindu Gods and Goddesses and also you can kind of depict different emotions through dance.

I think that's something that's really unique and something I enjoy.

So when I'm dancing, I obviously think about the next step but also the expression that I wanna put on my face to make sure it like comes across clearly.

You have a favorite dance move?

Yeah, so I have a few, but one of my particular favorites is like the jumping step.

So you jump on your toes and you just drop your feet like this and you keep it like that.

KENNEDY: Can you teach me?

Yeah, sure.

So first put your feet out in semi V-shape and then you bend at your knees a little bit and then would you jump on your toes and then just drop it, yeah.

(bells jingling) And you notice when we're doing all of our dances, you can hear the bells with each of our steps.

And that's because Bharatanatyam, which is the South Indian classical dance form that we do, it's comprised of a lot of footwork.

So when we're moving, you could kind of hear our feet with the sound of bells.

(gentle music) Do you wear a sari every time you go to the temple?

Yes, traditionally when we go to the temple we do wear a sari with respect to the place of worship.

What is this small dot many Hindus wear?

This is called a Bindi.

Traditionally it used to be for the customary for Indian married women to wear it.

In modern times it has become like a fashion accessory.

Before it used to be just red, now it goes the color of the outfit and we wear it here in-between the eyebrows to focus on the intellect.

KENNEDY: What is your favorite thing about being Hindu?

The belief system that everyone is equal, everyone is one, regardless of their physical form and also the belief that we wanna give back more than we take.

I hope you had a good time learning about a thing or two about Hindu culture?

Come again sometimes some Sunday, okay?

Okay, I will.

Bye.

Bye.

(gentle music) And head to onedtroitpbs.org for more on the Religious Diversity Journeys and all of our virtual tours.

You know, the month of May marks Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

And in that spirit of sharing and understanding cultures, here's one of our favorite stories about mochi and a Japanese new year tradition.

It's the art of pounding rice into a gooey paste and mold it into round cakes, you eat them for good luck.

Well, two years ago, the Japanese American Citizens League held their second annual mochitsuki holiday party.

They invited us to celebrate.

And then we'll be making another round of mochi so just pace yourself, okay?

(all laugh) CHRISTY: A community center in Madison Heights.

This is a Japanese mochitsuki New Year's celebration Detroit style.

Cut out some balls and roll.

CHRISTY: Members of the Japanese American Citizens League are making and eating mochi made from a gooey rice paste.

We created a lot of different ways to have it.

We have it, the way I grew up eating it was with shoyu and sugar.

CHRISTY: Shoyu, that's soy sauce.

TANAKA: And I have a frying pan actually.

So if you wanna fry some.

We have kinako, the the soybean flour with sugar and a little salt and you roll it in there.

One thing I remember is because it stretches, if you pull it and I think has something to do with the longevity of your life.

But my memory is kind of fuzzy so.

CHRISTY: Mochitsuki goes back a thousand years.

In Japan, the celebration can go all day.

The rice cakes take center stage to music and activities for the kids.

The rice harvest is in the fall.

The celebration of New Year's is a big deal so I think that's kind related to it too.

MAN: Is it good?

Very good, I'm very fond of (speaks in foreign language) CHRISTY: Like lutefisk in Sweden or the fruitcakes of the Western world, mochi returns every holiday season.

Some love it, some don't.

Can you make this size of Mochi?

Okay.

CHRISTY: But with mochi, it's not just the texture, but the danger, a choking hazard if you're not careful.

Eat it, chew it good.

(speaks in foreign language) Chew it good.

(chuckles) Chew it good, huh?

I've never had it like this before, this is- Oh, why don't you have it in the soup?

Well, this is ozoni, this is the new year's soup.

And it has carrots and tofu and fishcake and lotus root.

CHRISTY: The mochi sits in the bowl like a matsa ball.

This is just the second year the Citizen's League has held mochitsuki in Detroit, even though the group has been here more than 70 years.

It started out as a support group of obviously Japanese Americans.

And it turned into a more of a civil rights focus organization and we have chapters everywhere, including obviously here in Detroit.

The Detroit chapter started when a lot of people who came out of camp relocated to Detroit.

And at its peak, I understand there were 400 members.

Wonderful gift basket.

Mary Kamidoi was born in California, held in an internment camp in Arkansas, during world war two.

She's long retired from Ford Motor Company but remembers mochitsuki as a child.

All the time that we were making mochi the kids just played around with it.

Our parents made it every year and had friends come over.

And so, you know, I'm one of these, I didn't eat it.

I didn't like it.

So I crabbed, every time we were molding the thing, "Ma, I don't even eat the thing.

"Why do I have to come home and do this?"

She said, "Mary, just keep molding it."

CHRISTY: Molding mochi, that's the easy part.

You need people to pound the rice, swinging a big mallet over and over again.

For you to pound.

That's a job like my dad would say.

If you don't pound right, you will hurt your back.

And then the one that had to turn it, if you don't time it right, the mallet will come down on your hand or your head.

CHRISTY: Technology to the rescue, the mochi making machine Mary's brother-in-law found one in Los Angeles.

He brought it home and my sister said, "Come on over, you've gotta see this machine, Mary.

"It's really funny."

This one just works all the (indistinct).

Steams and when it's ready, the pounding starts.

The other two that you have to push the button.

I've always been saying, I would say it to my mom.

Why is it Japan hasn't made a machine so that the mochi and like this out of it.

And it cuts off at a certain... Mary, then there's be no fun to this.

You can see these these machines the way they're cutting it, it's a mess.

MAN: Do you like to it now, Ma?

Not really, I will eat one or two but that's it.

Not because I like it so well, I just eat it because it's just custom.

You know, after a while when you don't have it, you sorta miss it.

And for all of our arts and culture stories, just head to our website at onedetroitpbs.org.

That is gonna do it for me.

Have a great week.

Make sure you come back and see us for One Detroit on Thursdays at 7:30 PM.

Take care and I'll you see then.

(upbeat music) ♪ Now you know you sure like a Brady ♪ ♪ Super boy you take ♪ No I don't wanna, I don't think so ♪ ♪ I don't wanna, I don't think so ♪ Christy: You can find more at OneDetroitPBS.org or subscribe to our social media channels and sign up for our One Detroit newsletter.

Announcer 1: From Delta faucets to Behr Paint, Masco Corporation is proud to deliver products that enhance the way consumers all over the world experience and enjoy their living spaces.

Masco, serving Michigan communities since 1929.

Announcer 2: Support for this program provided by the Cynthia & Edsel Ford Fund for Journalism at Detroit Public TV.

The Kresge Foundation.

Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan.

Announcer 1: The DTE Foundation is a proud sponsor of Detroit Public TV.

Among the state's largest foundations committed to Michigan focused giving.

We support organizations that are doing exceptional work in our state, visit DTEFoundation.com to learn more.

Announcer 2: Business Leaders for Michigan, dedicated to making Michigan a top 10 state for jobs, personal income and a healthy economy.

Also brought to you by the Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation.

And viewers like you.

(gentle music)