Wednesday, September 27, 2017

A fun time had by all x 2


Fri., September 6, 1935 - Howard came early tonite.  We went to "The Womanless Tea" at Hoskins given by the American Legion.  It was a scream.  During the play the rain just came down in sheets.
Sat., September 7, 1935 - To Wayne on the train this morning.  Aunt Mildred was going to Wayne.  Miss Sewell told me that she's left Uncle Chris!  Rainy all day.
Sun., September 8, 1935 - Ray came home last nite.  Ray, Mom, Alma and I went to the Rebekah picnic at Pete Christensen's.  Everybody ate too much, I believe.  Howard brought me to Goodling's tonite.

The best I can find out, "A Womanless Tea" is a production involving men dressed up as women.  Whether there's an actual story, or more of a fashion show of sorts, I can't tell.  It puts me in mind of the Winside centennial when guys, most of whom were also in the "best beard" competition, dressed up as ladies and paraded around the bandstand.  Anyone who was there likely remembers it as well.

Here's how a newspaper in Texas described it:

A "Womanless Tea" was given by the P-TA in the grammar school auditorium on the evening of March 13, 1931.

Thirty-eight business and professional men in Rising Star made up the cast, each dressed in "ladies garb".  There were flappers, demure maidens, dignified matrons, and famous characters.

F. W. Roberds represented Mrs. Al Smith; Martin Joyce was "Ma" Ferguson; the late Sam Johnson and Hubert Jones were bathing beauties; Hugh Childress was a hula dancer; the late Wm. Koonce and Cecil Joyce acted as maids; Babe Wood was the hostess, a charming and gracious one, assisted by her "daughter", Dallas Dill, who did much to help her mother in entertaining guests.  School Supt. Dawson, Ray Agnew and Clark Crownover were among the most charming flappers.  Among the cast were F. V. Tunnell, R. O. Jacobs, Ray Agnew, W. E. Tyler, Cecil Shults and Fred Eberhart.

The "tea" was well attended and afforded much merriment as well as a substantial financial boost for the P-TA."

The references to deceased members must strike you, dear reader, as a bit odd.  The article I found was in a newspaper printed in 1966 from a column that is a sort of "this day in local history" kind of thing.  So, the late Sam Johnson and the late Wm. Koonce must have passed between 1931 and 1966, not between the time of the event and the short period until it was reported first in the newspaper.  I hope so, anyway.

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