A black-face minstrel show was presented by female members of the Community Grange at the Knights of Pythias Hall in Fisherville, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, on Friday and Saturday March 21, 1958 and March 22, 1958. Note that the “end men” were actually “end women.” The following article appeared in the Elizabethville Echo, March 20, 1958, describing the event.
MINSTREL AT FISHERVILLE MARCH 21-22
“The Housewives Harmony Minstrel” will be presented by members of the Community Grange in the Knights of Pythias lodge hall at Fisherville, Friday and Saturday, March 21-22, at 8 p.m.
Mrs. Dick Meckley will be interlocutoress, and appearing as end women in the cast are: “Lorna Boone,” Mrs. Charles Woland Jr.; “Nancy Snubs,” Miss Laverne Etzweiler; “Juliana Mazooka,” Mrs. Esther Enders; Mrs. Minerva Squintz,” Mrs. Kenneth Rose; “Caroline Hemple,” Mrs. Joseph Harmon; “Katy Simpson,” Miss Betty Ramberger.
The program was apparently so popular that it was repeated. The Echo reported the following on April 24, 1958:
BENEFIT PERFORMANCE OF MINSTRELS
Members of the Community Grange, Fisherville, will give a repeat performance of the minstrel show entitled “Housewives Harmony,” in the Knights of Pythias lodge hall, Fisherville, Saturday, May 3, at 8:00 p.m.
Proceeds will be for the benefit of the aid fund.
It did not have to be stated in the notices that the “end women” would be appearing in black-face.
White men and women, who blackened their faces, and performed emphasizing negative stereotypical behavior that they attributed to African Americans, for the purpose of getting laughs were often the most prominent people in the community. In the case of this production it was supported by the Knights of Pythias and the local Grange.
This post is part of a series in which news articles, photographs and other “memorabilia” are presented to show how “black-face” was infused into the culture of the Lykens Valley area. Readers are invited to submit photos and recollections on how long this offensive “entertainment” lasted and what locals thought of it as part of the culture of the area.
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News articles from Newspapers.com.
Corrections and additional information should be added as comments to this post.