Grain Valley News

  • Home
  • About
    • Submit Your News
    • Contact
  • News
    • Online Puzzles
  • Events Calendar
  • Support
    • Advertise
    • Become A Sustaining Member
  • Share The Love
  • Home
  • About
    • Submit Your News
    • Contact
  • News
    • Online Puzzles
  • Events Calendar
  • Support
    • Advertise
    • Become A Sustaining Member
  • Share The Love

featured news

read the full edition of valley news at:
This Week's Edition

Looking Back: 1932 May Festival

6/18/2020

 
by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society    
 

     When Grain Valley’s first brick school burned in 1925 it was replaced by a new $75,000 building considered to be one of the finest schools in Jackson County. The new building had both a gymnasium and a stage. Any one graduating from GVHS between 1926 and 1964 received their diploma on that very stage. 
     Students also performed on that stage. From vocal music and band concerts to musical revues and plays, it was the cultural center of Grain Valley where many of us “old-timers” remember with fondness our “great times” on stage. 
     The photo above of the 1932 May Festival was undoubtably one of those great times.  While we will never know how the yearly festival began, it may have been influence by the famous Ziegfeld Follies.  The follies, a musical spectacular, were the American version of Folies Bergere of Paris. Begun by Florenz Ziegfeld in 1907, the follies came to the Amsterdam Theater in New York in 1913. They lasted into the 1930s and had a tremendous influence on American musical theater. 
     Since we will never know her motivation for producing and directing the May Festival, I am going to believe Mrs. Scott, the music teacher, was influenced by Ziegfeld, Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin and others to bring entertainment and culture to our town.
     As for the photo, there are no names but I do recognize Linnea Snow and Paulina Farley, the first two girls on the front row.  I also know their dresses, along with many others in the photo, were made from crepe paper.  Costumes made from crepe paper was very popular back them. The rabbits on the front row are wearing long underwear, but judging from the size of it, I’m thinks it must have belonged to an older, and much bigger, brother!
 
Visit the Historical Society to see this and many other photos from Grain Valley “back in the day.”
 
Picture

Comments are closed.

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Burton Kelso
    Business
    Cathy Allie
    Celebrations & Transitions
    Census
    City Of Grain Valley
    Columnists
    Community Profile
    COVID 19
    COVID-19
    Economic Development
    Education
    Elections
    Financial Health
    Fitness
    Food Inspections
    Good News
    Good-news
    Grain Valley Assistance Council
    Grain Valley Fair
    Grain Valley Historical Society
    Grain Valley Partnership
    Grain Valley Schools
    Health And Fitness
    Home And Garden
    Jackson County
    LD
    Local News
    Looking Back
    Lorne Meinershagen
    Missouri House Of Representatives
    Missouri Senate
    Musings From The Middle
    Neighborhood View
    Pets
    Police Blotter
    Quick News
    RDN
    Recreation
    Sally Whitaker
    Seniors
    Senior Send Off
    Sports
    Technology
    Tracey Shaffer
    Transportation
    University Of Missouri Extension
    Wayne's World

grain valley news

Grain Valley News is a free community newspaper published weekly online and in print on the first and third weeks of each month. 

Contact Us

PO Box 2972
​Grain Valley MO 64029