Hi Everybody:
Well, I want to share with everyone my recent trip to
our lovely
village of Dalton, Ohio and land of the "Bulldogs." I flew in
Thursday, Aug. 28th and flew back last Wed., Sept. 10th-not wanting
to
fly on 9/11. I had two main objectives this trip...to visit some
long lost
relatives (Smiths on my Mom's side) that reside in
Alliance, Ohio. I
discovered them by email after researching some
family history on my last
August (2007) trip to Ohio. We met with
them and had the most wonderful
time on Sept. 3rd, I believe. The
other objecive was to go to the Wayne
County Fair! I got to go to
the fair twice on Monday, Sept. 8th. It was
wonderful. I'm sure we
all have wonderful memories of School Day, and yes
it was School Day,
which meant it was very crowded. I took some pictures,
but don't
know to load them up into my computer yet. My son gave me a
digital
camera, and a teenager I met at my sister, Cindy's house at her
Labor
Day picnic taught me how to use it. Cindy dropped me off at the Fair
about 10:20 a.m. on her way to her water exercise class in Wooster on
Monday morning and I was off to see the bands perform. I saw
Northwestern, Doylestown, Smithville, and then our beloved Dalton.
We
had probably the biggest! I was sure proud when they came marching
in with
cadence (something I love since I made up some drumsongs that
we used
while I was in the band). The kids were not in regular
uniforms, but in
shorts with black t-shirts, or something common like
that. They marched up
on a stage and did their performance there, not
on the field. Drum corps
did not even fit on the stage and were down
below and in front of the
stage. A majorette group of 5 was off to
the left. One school only had 1
majorette. Gee, our majorette lines
with the "All Girls Band" was the
glory of the band. Dalton did a
group of Beatles songs and they were very
good. They did the Alma
Mater, which I stood and proudly sang along, even
enlisting a couple
that I found out were from Stark County. They stood too
- how
funny! Guess since I stood up so proud and enthusiastic thought they
should too! Then next came our glorious High School song - Is it
Love
(or Laud) and honor to old Dalton... I didn't care who saw me,
what they
thought, but there was no doubt from where I was from! I
would have to say
that I thought Smithville's music was best (they
did Elvis). Dalton's
next. Found out that the band director they
have, used to be Dalton's.
It's said he wears a Smithville shirt,
but underneath closest to his
heart, wears a Dalton shirt. I forget
his name. One thing I noticed was
that band members used music in
their lyres. We were not allowed to do
that, at least when Marilyn
Graber was head of the Trumpets. All of you
trumpets remember that?
We had to go and play our music for her every week
so she knew we had
it down pat. I was in trumpet section for several years
and loved
it. Our best number was "Rock Around the Clock!" I left after
Dalton played, met my sister and then returned in early evening to
see
the rest of the Fair.
Went to the Shreve benefit Chicken Bar-B-que
dinner - it was awesome
& just $6.95. Next we beat it over to the
grandstand and saw and
heard the Oak Ridge Boys. They sounded great, but
looked like crap!
Not dressed up, too casual for me - just looked like
they come in
after their long ride in their big bus. Saw the Budweiser
horses,
regular horses, school bldg, grange bldg, home ec bldg, etc.
etc.
Friday before had a group of friends and classmates together for
breakfast at Das Dutch in Dalton. Here were the Dalton graduates
present: My Mom (Iris Smith - now Iris Yoder - Class of 1940), my
Mom's friend and mine, Miriam Wenger Scott - Class of 1940, my former
babysitter when a child - June Ressler Hiner - Class of 1948 (who
still performs at h. school football games on Homecoming playing Bass
drum - with present drum group (in her 70's), Sylvia Slabach
Drushell
- Class of 1958 (former Homecoming Queen and Trumpet in
Girl's Band),
Cookie Shane/Birbeck - Class of 59 --YEA! -Baritone
player in band,
Shirley Moser/Wyss - Class of 59 - Trumpet in band,
Karen Eckard/Baer -
59, of course, Majorette & Drum Majorette,
Myself - 59 - also Trumpet,
and underclassman Ruthie Slabach Camp -
Class 1962 - played trumbone in
band. We could have had a nice
little band right there. Enjoyed our
fellowship together. It was
great.
The other thing I wanted to
share with you was that I went uptown to
take some pictures of Methodist
and Presby churches, downtown sq. -
you know hit all the big tourist
attractions and realized that the
kids (Jr. High) were just getting out of
OUR High School building. I
thought to myself, I bet the door will be open
and I went over to see
if I could get it and look around. A man met me at
the door and
asked if he could help me and I said I went to school here 50
years
ago and still have dreams about this place. Would I be able to go in
and look around - He was the principal, and said sure and introduced
himself. Didn't follow me around or anything. You know I could have
planted a bomb in there and nobody would have known it. I went on
all
3 floors, even the Girl's basement restroom (nothing changed in
there). I
took pictures of the rooms that meant most to me...1st on
my list - The
Music Room - still being used, the Typing/Shorthand
Room, by which I have
learned and earned my living, a picture of
Auditorium, and Stage, where I
have early memories of singing and
being on that stage. It was really fun.
Maybe it will be open for
us for Reunion. Principal said he has had
several classes do that.
You know our memories of it are "Large, and
looming, and rather
intimidating, but really it wasn't that large. It was
hot in there,
no air. They were having a Study hall upstairs, maybe
keeping some
kids after school - don't know??? A girl's volleyball team
was
practicing in Auditorium. All the trophies that we had earned are
gone - only later year trophies.
Guys, we lived, I feel in the
hayday of the 50's and the greatest
time for that area of Wayne and Stark
County. I kept thinking I
would run into some more classmates, but most
are gone as my Mom kept
telling me, and are on the Internet! Massillon is
pretty dead.
Wooster looked better downtown than Massillon. Went to Canton
too
and by the way - that nightclub name I was trying to think of which
was replaced by Town & Country Buffet-where the "big stars" played
was called "Casablanca" - this information compliments of Larry Baer
(Karen's husband) whom she called and asked him when it was brought
up! She knew he would know, and he did. Mystery solved.
The latest
tourist attraction in town is a TREE at Billie J.
McFarren's house (don't
remember if one going North from sq. or up at
light at Methodist
church)it's partially cut down and a guy carved
all kinds of animal
figures into it. Pretty neat! Picture was in the
paper. Wanted to visit
his son's church, but didn't get to. The big
news all the town folk are
excited about is Dalton is getting
a "Dollar General." Right now - not
even a grocery store in town,
most go to Buehlers in Orrville. Should have
gone up to one of the
football games (they played Tuslaw - at home) on one
of the Friday's
I was there, but didn't.
Your Dalton Gazette
reporter signing off...
Linda Fahrney/Freeland
