Summer - Social and Community Activities
Summer wasn't all work and no play on 1920s farms. The warm
months brought many social gatherings – neighbor helping
neighbor with the harvest, visiting with friends at church ice
cream socials, and trips to town. On Saturday nights, small
towns were usually packed with people. Farm families went to town to
sell eggs and cream and stayed to visit with friends, or go
to an outdoor band concert or a movie. Some children who lived
in town could afford roller skating and other sports and games.
Children who lived in the country usually went horseback riding,
built playhouses in the corncrib, or went swimming or fishing
in a nearby creek.
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Chautauqua events drew huge
crowds. |
In the summer, towns hosted public entertainment events known
as the Chautauqua. People came from miles around to the huge
Chautauqua tent for lectures, plays, musical concerts and other
cultural entertainment. Country and city folk enjoyed going
to horse races in the summer, and everyone looked forward to
July 4th fireworks.
Written by Claudia Reinhardt.
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