COSTUMES, NEW DRESSES & PERFORMING
Seasonal exhibit now on display in the Cut Knife Library, 113 Broad Street.
“In the 1920 to 1930 period in my community of Riding Hill… Parents played a large part in program preparation. They made costumes and for the draw curtains for the stage, often they dyed and used old cotton bed sheets. They designed attractive drill costumes from crepe paper for grades one and two. In a variety of colours. that age group made delightful fairies as they flitted to and fro from one end of the stage to the other. Red and green crepe paper clad elves added to the charm of gift giving when, at the end of the program, Santa needed helpers.” ~ Ruby Sleath, page 54
“Keith recalls the exciting day when the stage was brought in from the rafters of the barn, where it was stored throughout the rest of the year. It was set up between the cloak room doors. Due to the storage of the stage in the barn, the sweet, pungent aroma of horse manure permeated the air, as the stage was assembled in the school, and gradually became less noticeable as concert day drew near!” ~ Audrey (Brebner) Waters, page 69
“Our concert was always the last day of school. One of the trustees would bring a tree, which was set up and decorated after we went home earlier that day. One year, when I went at night, there was this beautiful, big tree, all shining with tinsel and new decorations. It completely filled the corner of the room.” ~ Hazel Inkster, page 13
“Vivian and I got new dresses at Christmas. Mine was red satin and hers was always blue. Mother made them and when we’d get to the concert and take our coats off we were so proud to show our new dresses. Sometimes they were pinned if Mother hadn’t got time for the buttons and button holes. All girls enjoyed the excitement of seeing what each one wore. I don’t suppose there was the same excitement in the boy’s cloakroom. There was probably grumbling over having to get dolled up.” ~ Doreen Taylor, page 65
“Somehow Mom would manage to sew us new dresses every year in time for the concert. With five girls this was no small task. The hum of the electric sewing machine with Mom bent over it was as much a part of our Christmas as the tree and stockings.” ~ Amy Singh, page 39
“One recitation I especially remember was a German one which I said in the Danzig School (three miles east of Waldheim, Saskatchewan) when I was in grade two. I was dressed in a Santa mask which was very artificial looking and much too big for me. It didn’t move very much when I moved my head inside of it. I guess make-up paint hadn’t been discovered, at least not in our rural school. The mask muffled my speech so that I had to be especially articulate and loud.” ~ Orval Ens, page 10
Be sure to stop by tomorrow for School Concert to Christmas Concert. Previously, The School Concert, Part 1 and Intro to Prairie Christmas.
If you have any memories of early Christmases in the Cut Knife area that you’d like to share with our readership, please email or add to the comments below. We’ll put them all together in a final blog post in early January.
All excerpts in this Prairie Christmas blog series will have been taken from Prairie Christmas: A Collection of Stories and Recollections published as A Clayton McLain Memorial Museum Project, Cut Knife, Saskatchewan 2006 – 2007. Remaining copies are available for purchase for $10. See the website’s Gift Shop page here.
~ Debbie M.
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Clayton McLain Memorial Museum 