A Night of Masks and Mirth in White Bluffs
The American Legion’s Hallowe’en masquerade ball drew a capacity crowd from across the valley, blending community celebration with the playful, if dated, customs of the era.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Varied and colorful were the costumes worn by the dancers at the masquerade ball given by the Legion boys at the high school auditorium in White Bluffs Wednesday night. The crowd, augmented by spectators, filled the room to capacity. It was a Hallowe’en party, and the spirit of fun and frolic predominated throughout the evening. Residents from Hanford to Priest Rapids were in attendance. Prizes were awarded during the grand march; Mrs. Eula Byrd and Mrs. O. B. Gwin, dressed as an Indian couple, took top honors for their costumes. Other winners included Miss Dorothy Witte, Everett Shull, Verne Chase, and Mrs. J. G. Koukal. The total gate receipts were $125, with a net profit of $85 for the Legion.
“It is doubtful if a single one in attendance could be found who would say he did not have a nice time.”
Community halls and high school auditoriums served as the literal heartbeat of 1920s rural Washington, providing social cohesion for populations scattered across vast agricultural tracts. While the specific costumes and themes reflect the era’s complicated cultural lens, the fundamental impulse to gather and celebrate remains a constant, even as the towns like Hanford have vanished from the map.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.