In 1929, Labor Day festivities in Gratz, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, included baseball games, a parade, turtle races, watermelon eating contests, and “colored skits” performed in black-face by Arthur Klinger and “Hum” Snyder. The crowd witnessing the last event was described as being “kept in an uproar” (supposedly by laughing) until the program ended.
Also included in the day was a parade which featured “mummers,” who at the time referred to people in black-face.
An article in the Elizabethville Echo, September 9, 1929, described the day in more detail:
BIG CROWDS ATTEND LABOR DAT PROGRAM AT GRATZ
More than 2000 people witnessed the Gratz Labor program on Monday. Four hundred fans attended the baseball game between Gratz and Hegins in the morning. A larger crowd saw Donaldson defeat Gratz on the latter’s grounds in the afternoon.
In early evening, a parade of two hundred mummers and floats moved through streets lined with spectators, the crowds following the parade to the community park where it disbanded to witness a program directed from a platform in front of the grandstand which overflowed onto the ball diamond.
The feature race of the evening was among four turtles. Only one of the entrants seemed to know what was desired of her and raced by herself while her three companions were content to withdraw into the solitude of their shells and take a nap at the barrier. Other enjoyable scenes were a huckleberry pie eating contest for the boys, and watermelon eating contests for girls and following this, one for the men.
Part of the program was given over to Pennsylvania Dutch readings, and several colored skits by Arthur Klinger and “Hum” Stiner of Williamstown. Mr. Stiner as a black-face soloist played his own accompaniment on the banjo. Klinger delivered a real peppy colored sermon, taking as his text, “Old Mother Hubbard.” From there on the crowd was kept in an uproar until this pair closed the program.
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For related articles on this blog, see Black-Face.
News article was obtained from Newspapers.com.
Corrections and additional information should be added as comments to this post.