Grain Valley News
  • Home
  • About
    • Submit Your News
    • Contact
  • News
    • Voter Resources
    • Online Puzzles
  • Community
    • Events Calendar
    • Kindness Awards
    • 2023 Garage Sale Directory
    • Parade
  • Job Board
  • Best of Grain Valley
  • Support
    • Advertise
    • Become A Sustaining Member
  • Business Directory Submission Form
  • Home
  • About
    • Submit Your News
    • Contact
  • News
    • Voter Resources
    • Online Puzzles
  • Community
    • Events Calendar
    • Kindness Awards
    • 2023 Garage Sale Directory
    • Parade
  • Job Board
  • Best of Grain Valley
  • Support
    • Advertise
    • Become A Sustaining Member
  • Business Directory Submission Form








​news

Looking Back: Grain Valley’s Cultural Offerings

6/25/2020

 
by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society    
 

     For the past two weeks I have written about some of the theatrical events that brought “culture” to our town.  From the files at the Historical Society, I found additional photographs of the Spring Festival, which was a yearly event until at least 1947-48. That was the last picture I found.
     In addition to the festival, I found advertisements, programs and photographs from a variety of “cultural” events enjoyed by the citizens of Grain Valley. A couple of play scripts and some photos are proof of the plays performed at the Royal Playhouse during the 1920s.  
     Over the years, many groups did “community” theater, such as the womanless wedding.  Although no year is found on the advertisement, Noel Wilkerson, “the Bride,” was the high school principal from 1929-1938,  so I believe this particular event probably occurred around 1936.
     Old yearbooks, dating back to the 1940s, contain pictures from band and choir concerts. The Junior and Senior Class plays were performed each year until the late 1960s when these twice-yearly productions became all school plays.
     When the auditorium was built at the high school in 1996, a musical replaced one of the shows. And for a couple of years, the community could purchase a season ticket for Sunday afternoon musical performances by groups ranging from the Independence Symphony Orchestra to military bands and ensembles.
     Over the years, there have also been other “cultural” events. Father Daughter Dances and Mother and Daughter Banquets have been around forever.  They have been sponsored by various churches, civic groups such as the Lions Club and even the City of Grain Valley has been doing a yearly Father Daughter Event (until the recent pandemic!). 
     Whether to raise money or merely to provide entertainment, Grain Valley has been a mecca of culture and great fun!
Visit the Historical Society any Wednesday from 10 AM to 3 PM and see photos and memorabilia from these events from the past!
 
 
Picture

Comments are closed.

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Burton Kelso
    Business
    Cathy Allie
    Celebrations & Transitions
    Census
    City Of Grain Valley
    Columnists
    Community Profile
    Covid19
    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
    Health-and-fitness
    Home And Garden
    Jackson County
    Kindness Awards
    Ld
    Letters
    Local News
    Looking Back
    Lorne-meinershagen
    Missouri House Of Representatives
    Missouri Senate
    Musings From The Middle
    Neighborhood View
    On-the-job
    Pets
    Police Blotter
    Quick-news
    Rdn
    Recreation
    Sally-whitaker
    Seniors
    Senior-send-off
    Sports
    State Of Missouri
    Technology
    Tracey-shaffer
    Transportation
    University Of Missouri Extension
    Waynes-world

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018

Grain Valley News

Grain Valley News is a free community news source published weekly online. 
(c) 2023 Grain Valley News

Contact Us

PO Box 2972
​Grain Valley MO 64029

Privacy Policy
Picture