Reminiscences of Children's Fair (Continued)

Construction of the Fair (Continued Page 18 - 19)

Records and Reminiscences of Children’s Fair

“Seeking to make idle hours useful hours, I have written it in my old age Please accept my old RECORDS AND REMINISCENCES.” - C. H. Obear - July 8, 1911

Construction of the Fair - Page 18 - 19

The resolution "to introduce literary exercises by the. children, if it was found practicable," was presented at the meeting to make arrangements for the Thirteenth Annual Fair. Mrs. C. H. Obear, Miss Sarah F. Lee and Miss Ettie Taylor (or Mary Wheeler, I do not recall which), were chosen.

This was their procedure. Notice was read from the pulpit asking all children who would be willing to take part in recitations and songs on the day of the fair to meet at a time named at the hall of the Congregational Church to have parts assigned and rehearse for singing. To our surprise, forty children under the age of thirteen or fourteen years came to the hall! What were we to do with them all, for evidently all would expect to bear part, and only less than forty-five minutes must be spared in the space of time between the dinner and the auction for this part of the proceedings of the day?

The day had not yet come when children could readily find suitable pieces for almost any occasion to say or to sing, and time was consumed in the time taken to come on and off the stage, and however worthy the recitation might be, a succession of single ones grew monotonous.

It was agreed that such, varied by what might be called. group pieces, permitting several to come forward at the same time, were desirable, but where were these to be found?

Fortunately, there had come to Bank Village, a few years before, a teacher from Massachusetts, who brought among her assets a "rhyming machine." The machine with its owner had been transferred to the home of C. H. Obear, and she was on this committee to arrange the new intro duction.

She knew her machine had grown rusty from want of use, and the muse presiding over it often turned out pretty lame: verse and was not always on call. The others urged trying to see what could be done with it, and the owner reflecting that the productions suggested by the Muse who presided over the machine would not be open to criticism by examination of construction by the eye and would soon be forgotten, it was agreed that the desired group pieces should be sought from this source, few knowing from whence they came.

Editor’s Note

I wonder if this “rhyming machine” was the ChatGPT of the day.

156th Children’s Fair - August 19, 2017

156th Children's Fair

James Roger diary entry

21st July 1913

Warm with fairly good northwesterly wind. David cutting grass for Mr. Corbett and Mr. Hardy in Barrett Meadow. Also round the Fox place for Mr. Chase. I did some weeding, sawed some wood, and Dave and me planted 200 cabbages. Got letter from Hamish. Mrs. Jones took Alice a drive round the golf course and Highbridge in the afternoon.

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Upcoming Event

163rd Children’s Fair - August 17, 2024

• New Ipswich Congregational Church

• 150 Main Street, New Ipswich, NH

• 10 AM - 3 PM

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