TAGS: <\/b>1948 Community Fair Day, Community Fair, community events, fairs, Pine Mountain Settlement School Community, farming, farms, weavings, weaving, embroidery, sewing, canned goods, garden products, poultry, flowers, canning,\u00a0 pickles, Medical Clinic, health check-ups, medicine,\u00a0 barbecue, <\/span>mutton, beef,\u00a0 pork, ballads ; singing, movies, ball games, calling contests, chicken calling, hog calling, sheep calling, cow calling, prizes, music, educational exhibits, home products, cooking, cakes, honey, breads, corn shuck crafts, crochet, furniture, brooms, soaps, rugs, coverlets, quilts, jellies, jams,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The Community Fair Day is one of many annual events that has a long history at Pine Mountain Settlement School. It started in 1917 as an extension of the Harlan County Fair and the School\u2019s \u201cFarmer\u2019s Day.\u201d<\/p>\n While the fundamental program of the Fair has remained remarkably consistent, the scale and scope of the Fair have varied from year to year as interest in fairs has waxed and waned in the School, the community, and the nation.<\/p>\n The following are transcriptions of two articles that appeared in October 1948 issue of THE PINE CONE<\/a>, a PMSS student publication. Fair Day of 1948 is described in detail as seen through the eyes of the student writers.<\/p>\n [The Pine Cone, Oct 1948,<\/a> pages 11-12.]<\/span><\/p>\n [Transcriptions have been slightly edited.]<\/p>\n Laughing, talking, singing, and shouting were all mixed together at the fair in Sept. Everywhere I looked I could see people shaking hands or smacking their lips as they ate a good barbecue sandwich. By the looks on their faces, you could see that they were having a good time.<\/span><\/p>\n I believe that the biggest hit among the small children was the balloons, although they were always wanting a \u201ctone of ice tream.\u201d Some of the little girls couldn\u2019t blow up their balloons, and you could see them running around everywhere, trying to find someone to help them.<\/span><\/p>\n The babies seemed to be enjoying themselves, although I am sure they didn\u2019t know anything at all about fair day. They seemed to enjoy their mothers\u2019 carrying them around and showing them off to the crowd. There was one baby that I purely loved. She had blonde hair, blue eyes, and was as cute as could be.<\/span><\/p>\n The students working on fair day were very funny if you watched them for long. They would be working to \u201cbeat sixty\u201d and then would yell out, \u201cRight this way for hot dogs, candy, bananas!\u201d Then they would begin working again and would yell, \u201cI bet we can sell more than you can!\u201d and all the time be working. Then they would yell, \u201cI\u2019m freezing to death. I think I\u2019ll buy me some coffee so I can get warm,\u201d or \u201cI think I\u2019ll get me a blanket to wrap up in.\u201d Even tho the students yelled a lot, they worked faithfully and didn\u2019t complain.<\/span><\/p>\n Everyone was talking to people he knew and people whom he had just met. There were laughing and talking about things which had happened a long time ago and things which had happened recently. Everyone seemed, somehow, to find a place in which he fitted, and none was left out.<\/span><\/p>\n Groups of people were talking and laughing. Here would be a bunch of farmers talking about weather and their crops and, somewhere, in another place you could see a bunch of women gossiping.<\/span><\/p>\n People from several different towns and hollows were here. Some were crudely dressed in their overalls or blue jeans, while others were fashionably dressed in fine apparel.<\/span><\/p>\n All of the small boys were buying balloons and blowing them up. Sometimes they would blow them up just to see them burst. I blew one up and caused it to pop near some girls who jumped as if they were shot.<\/span><\/p>\n People were all laughing, talking and shaking hands with their old friends. You probably heard people from the community saying to friends they had just discovered, \u201cWell, I want you to look, if there hain\u2019t Aunt Polly!\u201d or you heard, \u201cWhy, howdy, Aunt Jane, how are ye these days?\u201d or \u201cHit shore is good to see ye in good shape, Uncle John\u201d and lots of similar expressions. You also heard the children yelling with excitement and asking their mothers for tickets to buy ice cream and candy.<\/span><\/p>\n People were looking at the exhibitions and saying, \u201cWell, I never seen nothin\u2019 in my whole life to beat hit.\u201d They had lots of other compliments about the other displays, too.<\/span><\/p>\n One old woman came over and ate more strawberry ice cream than I could eat in two days. I thought I ate a lot of ice cream, but she made me think that I could eat more if I wanted to go to the hospital.<\/span><\/p>\n The Junior Class<\/span><\/p>\n [The Pine Cone, October 1948<\/a>, pages 13-15.]<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHeigh-ho, Come to the Fair.\u201d Yes, this was the long-awaited day. The peal of the youthful voices rang out upon the stilled air where the audience listened to the singing of the annual songs, \u201cHeigh-ho, Come to the Fair\u201d and \u201cAmerica the Beautiful,\u201d by the Pine Mt. students. The excitement rose steadily higher as the program was begun.<\/span><\/p>\n First, Mr. [H.R.S.] Benjamin<\/a> extended a welcome to all the visitors who had come from far and near. Next, the county agent made a brief talk, urging us to observe the exhibits. He also explained the importance of cover crops and expressed his appreciation for this and other fairs.<\/span><\/p>\n The story of the \u201cgol-darnedest stalk of corn that ever grew,\u201d taken from \u201cGrandfather Tales,\u201d was \u201cbroadcast\u201d by Carlos Banks, a senior at Pine Mt. School.<\/span><\/p>\n The Creech School students proudly stood up to sing us a song which they had learned at School.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAllemando left with your corner, allemando right with your partner, allemando left with your corner, and the grand right and left.\u201d Into the full swing went an old-fashioned square dance by a set of eight people. In and out they turned and swung, keeping every step in time with the music.<\/span><\/p>\n The Little Laurel students sang, \u201cI Think When I Read That Sweet Story of Old,\u201d \u201cThe Wise Man and the Foolish Man\u201d and \u201cThe Lord Is My Shepherd.\u201d Other children from Little Laurel sang solos and duets so you can see that we had much singing on our program this year.<\/span><\/p>\n A little girl with bobbing curls and a pretty yellow dress climbed gaily to the steps of the schoolhouse to tell us the story of \u201cMary Had a Little Lamb,\u201d with several very entertaining versions, all of which displayed real dramatic ability.<\/span><\/p>\n A spelling match with the local elementary schools competing then took place. There were students from Bear Branch, Creech, Little Laurel, Coyle\u2019s Branch, Divide and Isaac\u2019s Creek schools. Coleen Jackson from Little Laurel was the winner; Mabel Lewis from Coyle\u2019s Branch where one of our own Pine Mt. students, Ray Banks, is now teaching after completing his work here two years ago, won second prize. Juanita Coots from Little Laurel won third prize.<\/span><\/p>\n The crowd was literally charmed by the telling of a Dick [Richard] Chase<\/a> tale by the author of \u201cGrandfather Tales\u201d himself. \u201cHow Bobtail Beat the Devil\u201d was the name of the yarn and it was one of the highlights of the program.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMy man John\u201d came to life as we saw the ballad by that name dramatized on the stage. In the end, the gentleman won the love of the little lady who was fluttering her fan.<\/span><\/p>\n L.K. Hendrix, one of Pine Mt.\u2019s new students, did a hoedown and was followed by a set of four couples who danced Cumberland Sq. Eight.<\/span><\/p>\n As the program ended, the hungry crowd dashed for the food stands where delicious barbecue sandwiches, cheese sandwiches, hot dogs, candy, peanuts and all rest of our favorite foods were sold.<\/span><\/p>\n At the infirmary clinic set up by Dr. Elizabeth, Miss Becker, Miss [Grace] Rood<\/a> and student assistants under the tree by the fountain, free shots were given to anyone who wished to have them, and pamphlets on baby care were given away.<\/span><\/p>\n
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\nFair Impressions<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\nFair Day Program<\/strong><\/h3>\n