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As It Was: School Carnival Raises Funds for Summer Program

A school carnival held at the Woodman Hall in March 1924 raised funds to defray the expenses of high school students attending a two-week summer program at the Oregon Agricultural College in Corvallis.

People crowded into the hall, and soon the candy booth and fish pond sold out.  Other popular activities included palmistry and fortune-telling.

The evening’s entertainment began with a Geographical Squabble contest between seventh and eighth graders, followed by a group of older boys exhibiting their boxing skills in several rousing rounds. Students of all ages performed with recitations, choral songs, and choreographed dances. 

Raffle ticket sales exceeded expectations.  The raffle offered a handmade quilt and an authentic Indian blanket as top prizes.

Everyone cheered when it was announced that total overall receipts amounted to a “neat sum” of $174 (the equivalent of more than $1,500 in 2020).

Teachers expressed sincere thanks to the donors as well as the pupils and parents who organized and ran the carnival.  As the final act, primary graders gathered on stage to sing with the audience joining them.

Afterward, the organizers cleared the floor for an adults-only dance with orchestra music.

Source: "Big Crowd Enjoys School Carnival." Curry County Reporter, 27 Mar. 1924, p. 1.

Laurel earned a Bachelor’s degree in Geography from Humboldt State. Her research efforts as a volunteer for the Curry Historical Society produced numerous newsletter articles and exhibits and earned her a reputation as a seasoned local history buff. Laurel is the author of "Renderings from the Gold Beach Pioneer Cemetery", a 50-page booklet containing a walking tour and snippets about the lives and times of folks buried there. She is also a contributing writer to Oregon Coast Magazine.