Sesquicentennial
Show off your vintage clothes at the fashion review, beards too
Posted: 6/8/04
By Shannon McKinney
Argus News Reporter
Naomi Fruechte remembers when her mom made her a dress out of the cotton muslin that was used for 50 pound sacks of flour and sugar. ìI hated it when I was a kid,î she said.
But back then, it was common in the 1930s and 1940s to use that material for making aprons, dish towels or dresses. She recalls her mother shopping for sacks of flour and sugar and looking for two sacks that had the same exact printing on them so she could sew together an apron that matched.
If you have a garment with an interesting history, the sesquicentennial ìHistorical Fashion Reviewî is the perfect place to show off clothing or a replica of clothing that was worn in the 1850s-1900s, 1920s, 1950s, and 1970s. Featured will be clothing for both children and adults.
It takes place on Thursday, June 10 at 7 p.m. in the gazebo and city park.
Fruechte and Ann Thompson, as members of the Caledonia Rotary Club, are organizing the event. Fruechte figures there must be a lot of people who have old clothes around in closets and the attic that would be fun to see. Those interested in showing a garment can register at Community First or Merchants Bank.
A lot of the garments may not be able to be personally modeled, said Fruechte, because it seemed that people were a lot smaller back then, especially in the early 1900s. The women had very narrow shoulders, said Fruechte. ìMaybe they didnít eat as well or grow up as well,î she said.
There will also be a mother-daughter look-alike category. Fruechte explained that in the 1940s and 1950s mothers often used the same material to make outfit for themselves and their daughters.
All participants will be eligible to have their names drawn for one of two $50 cash prizes donated by the Caledonia Rotary club.
Beard Growing contest is Thursday night also
The Sesquicentennial Committee and Caledonia Rotary are sponsoring the Samuel McPhail look-a-like beard growing contest. The judging will take place on Thursday night, June 10, at the Rotary Gazebo in the Caledonia City Park. Participants should sign-in with the judges between 6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Gazebo.
Prizes will be awarded for the following 12 beard growing categories: longest, oldest beard grower, youngest beard grower, best colored, grayest, finest handle-bar mustache, oldest, fanciest, shaggiest, most distinctive, most lush hair and whiskers, best goatee.
Men who choose not to grow a beard may purchase shaving buttons for $5.00.
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