[Photo Caption] Kathleen Elliott, Carolyn Whitten, Beverly Hartley and Rosalie Hufnagel in 1950.
The Dale Kiwanis Club began the tradition of Fall Fest in 1948. Originally set at the end of October, over the next few years it was intermixed with a Halloween Festival. Here is newspaper reporting from the early days.
Dale Weekly Reporter – June 4, 1948
Saturday, October 30, has been set as the date for Dale’s first Fall Festival. It will be sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Dale.
According to the announcement made Wednesday evening by President Chas. P. Fuller, the day will be a festival of farm and home. Products of this area will be exhibited for awards.
Plans for the festival call for participation of all merchants and businessmen of the community; a corn queen to be chosen from the young ladies of Dale and vicinity, and to be crowned at the high point of the festival.
A masked ball will be a feature, as well as old time square dancing.
According to present plans, the Kiwanians will have something doing all day for everyone. Proceeds will be used for school playground equipment.
Dale Weekly Reporter – October 22, 1949
On Monday, October 18, each class held a meeting to select a candidate for a queen of the Halloween Festival sponsored by the Kiwanis Club. The following candidates were elected: Mildred Conner, senior; Mary Ann Eble, junior; Gloria Brown, sophomore; Betty Lou Harper, freshman. Votes are a penny each. The candidates receiving the most votes will be crowned queen, October 30.
Dale Weekly Reporter – November 4, 1950
The Halloween Festival at the school building Saturday night drew a good crowd. Maskers paraded for the judges while selections were made for the prettiest, ugliest and most ‘bodacious’. In the closing moments of the queen contest, the voting was spirited. Miss Carolyn Whitten was the victor and was crowned by President Paul Brown of the Kiwanis Club, to the accompaniment of a huge bonfire. Unsuccessful candidates for queen were Misses Beverly Hartley, Rosalie Hufnagel and Kathleen Elliott.
Proceeds of the festival, after expenses, will be used for public improvements, particularly for the school where the young people of the community will benefit.
Dale Weekly Reporter – October 26, 1951
Dale’s annual Fall Festival will open this year with a parade. According to officials, the parade will form at Conner-Middleton Motors at 7:00 p.m., Saturday night and proceed down Medcalf Street to the Brown Bros. Lumber Co. and thence to the school building. The festival queen candidates will ride in a specially prepared float. The band will play and all masked persons are urged to join the march.
A new feature of the festival will be the ‘Dunking Stand’, where, for a small charge, a member of the Kiwanis Club may be dumped into a tank of water.
There will be the usual Halloween fortune tellers, novelties, etc. Prizes will be offered for the prettiest costume, best impersonation, ugliest costume, ugliest couple and the most original.
During the festivities the queen will be crowned.
