As I recall it, the late Ken Harrison was the top ticket-seller that year. Now, the Rotarians had to roll up
their sleeves, tie on their white aprons, and produce. They had to barbecue the chicken halves, boil the corn-on-the-cob, serve the meal, and keep the tables free from debris.
At the end of the day they were happy but exhausted.
As the
Plymouth Mail reported on September 14,
"A bunch of sore
backed, sunburned Rotarians folded up
the tables, put out the fires and dragged themselves
home - confident that they had
successfully put on one
of the biggest shindigs of its kind ever attempted in
Plymouth."
The attendance at the Park was estimated at 3,500.
We served almost 2,800 dinners, more than double
the number served on any previous occasion.
Among those who attended from out of town were
Rotary District Governor Charles A. Bell and Mrs. Bell,
who came from Windsor, Ontario. While Frank Arlen
devoted much of his time to barbecue logistics,
others applied themselves to planning the "Festival"
aspect of the event. Our aim was to encourage
cultural
activities in the community, so we invited
organizations of that nature to participate with us
in the Park on that first Sunday.
I believe Wayne Dunlap agreed to oversee that phase
of the operation. Joining us for the first time were the
Three Cities Arts Club, which displayed paintings and
other forms of art; the
Plymouth Theatre Guild, which
performed a one-act play, "The Mad Hatter's Tea Party;"
and the Plymouth Historical
Society, which showed
pictures and documents from the City's past.
All of the displays were covered with gaily-striped
parachute silk tents, as a precaution against rain.
At 3 p.m., the Plymouth High School Band, which had performed at the dedication of an addition to the
Post Office, marched to the Park and gave a concert.
Throughout the afternoon,
the Penn Theatre showed
old-time comedies at 10 cents admission.
A popular feature at the first Fall Festival was
Wilford
Bunyea's traction steam engine, parked near
the barbecue pits. Live steam from the engine was
used to boil the corn. Shrill blasts from the engine's
whistle treated the munching crowd to a sound
not heard since the steam locomotive
became
a thing of the past.
The money raised that year was donated to the
Plymouth
Rotary Foundation, a non-profit organization
whose funds
were used for charitable purposes,
including support of the Crippled Children's Society.
