4th Annual West TN Strawberry Festival 1937

Beauty Revue--Mammoth Pageant--Baby and Junior Parade--Revue for Junior King and Queen--Music--Floats Parade--Horse Show--Queen's Ball--Free Acts--Fireworks--Balloon Ascensions

F O U R T H    A N N U A L
WEST TENNESSEE

STRAWBERRY
FESTIVAL
MAY 5-6-8, 1937
Humboldt, TENN.
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Educational     -    Entertaining

THREE  DAYS  AND  NIGHTS.
    BRIM-FULL   OF
FUN   -   BEAUTY  -   MIRTH
    EXCITEMENT.
_________
MORE  THAN $1,500.00 CASH
PREMIUMS  AND  AWARDS  IN
STRAWBERRY  SHOW  AND
MANY  OTHER  INTERESTING
FEATURES.
__________
Keep This Card for Reference.
SEE THE ANNUAL FESTIVAL
MAGAZINE
For Full Details of All Programs,
Premium Lists, Stories, Pictures,
Information
(OVER)









AMONG  THE  MANY  FEATURES  OF  FESTIVAL:

Football game=  (Penciled in by Nathan H. Moran)
STRAWBERRY  SHOW -- All Varieties Daily.
STRAWBERRY PLANT AND PRODUCTS
SHOW --DAILY.
STRAWBERRY FIELD CONTEST.
Annual Festival Horse Show--Tennessee's Finest.
       First Night.
MAMMOTH FLOATS PARADE--Third Day
BABY AND JUNIOR PARADE--South's Best--
Second Day.
PRODUCTION, TRANSPORTATION AND MARKETING
PROGRAM --Second Day
STUPENDOUS PAGEANT--250 People--Second Night.
DAYLIGHT FIREWORKS--First Morning.
FIREWORKS Second and Third Nights.
STATE AND FEDERAL ADMINISTRATION PROGRAM--
Third Day.
BALLOON ASCENSION DAILY--By Prof. Chas. Swartz.
COMMERCIAL AND COMMUNITY BOOTHS.
EDUCATIONAL BOOTHS.
FREE CIRCUS AND VAUDEVILLE ACTS--Twice Daily.
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ONE OF THE COUNTRY's LARGEST CARNIVALS ON
FESTIVAL MIDWAY---Day & Night During Festival Week.
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MUSIC--BANDS, ORCHESTRAS, BUGLE CORPS, ETC.
NOTED VISITORS AND SPEAKERS.
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TENNESSEE's FINEST AND GREATEST BEAUTY REVUE
--CONTESTANTS FROM 40 TOWNS--CORONATION OF
QUEEN--QUEEN's BALL--MUSIC BY NATIONALLY
FAMOUS ORCHESTRA--Third NIght.
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SPECIAL PRE-FESTIVAL GOLF TOURNAMENT May 4th
--Humboldt Golf and Country Club--Festival Loving
Cup Awarded Winner.
MANY OTHER INTERESTING EVENTS.
(OVER)

A Strong Heart Always Succeeds

I took a line from the letter by John T. Van Dyck Jr to James Moran IV because it has special meaning in this context.  John is congratulating Jim on his appointment to Annapolis and says "a strong heart all ways succeeds, some day you will command..."  But that didn't happen.  Jim went to Annapolis with the hopes and dreams of the Moran family on his shoulders, a mighty weight indeed.  While at Annapolis he did well in many subjects including Engineering but French was his Waterloo.  After three years he resigned from Annapolis. We think he worked as an aide to a Congressman in Washington for a few years before moving to East Tennessee where he worked in Engineering at Eastman Kodak.

According to a quick search on ancestry.com John Thomas Van Dyck Jr. was born July 30, 1913 in Paris Tennessee to John T. Van Dyck Sr and Fannie Fisher Giles. John Jr died July 3 1989.  And I'm not sure who Mary Tenny but she obviously made an impression on John and James.

Paris, Tenn
June 18 (some time in the 1930's)

Dear James,

I supose (sic) you are at Annapolis by now.  I sure was glad to hear about you receiving the apointment (sic), I saw your picture in the Evening Appeal, perhaps it will not be the last, for a strong heart all ways succeeds, some day you will command one of our country's greatest warships.  I reckon Mary Tenny won't be the only one of the old class to finish school, but maybe you were mistaken about her being stuck up for you know she used to condescend to help us with our Latin and Math.







Well there isn't much that I can say about myself except that I am working hard and regular, and that I have

grown considerable since you saw me last.

You may not get this note for a good while for I do not know your new address, but I guess you will get it some time, if your mother will be kind enough to send it on to you.  If you ever have time write and tell me all about Annapolis.

Your friend
J.T. Van Dyck Jr.

Through Their Eyes

Whenever I look at Moran Place it's always through the eyes of the modern world and I wonder, what did it look like through their eyes?  Candle light and oil lamps reflecting the crystal and  mirrors.  In the winter the glow from the fireplaces was more than a glow it was the only source of heat.  Open windows in the spring and summer to let in the breeze.  How did they keep the lawn mowed?  I think of the servants carrying water up and down those narrow back stairs to fill a bath tub.  A line from Downton Abbey comes to mind when I think of Moran Place.  Lady Mary is speaking to fiance Richard in regards to how they would furnish a new home, she says "Your lot buys it, our lot inherits it."  The Moran's certainly left a rich legacy.

This beautiful cut glass trinket box, at least that's what I think it is, was always in the upstairs front room and each time I visited that was where Mrs. Moran allowed me to stay.  To be sure, it's seen better days.  Most of the silver has worn off and there is a nasty crack in the lid but it's no less a treasure to us.  I photographed it using a dark cloth backdrop, lights off with just the light from a flashlight.  I was hoping to get the reflections that would do it justice. It really brought out the floral pattern in the lid.  It's the same pattern of many other pieces in Moran Place.  We believe it dates to the 1890's.

Back in December 2011 I wrote an entry about John W. Moran's Perfection Student Lamp ca 1880's.  It's still in working order and is all original.  Unlike many of those lamps which people electrified this one still uses oil.  Surprisingly it puts out a very nice glow but I can't imagine trying to do any real work at night with just this lamp!