The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1917-05-25
THE FIDDLERS'
CONTEST SUCCEEDS.
uii Hou'o-Fe.riotic Prograr-The
Olo-Time Dance.

AHe iluulefs contest billed for the
opera house Monday evening Of this
week waa . splendid success. There
could be but one objection to the
whole porgram and that was the late
ness OF the hour that the fiddlers rot
the stage.
Among the first features was the
soldiers tent and the "boys" ali
lounglng around singing "On the Old
camp Ground" The setting was
perfect in every detail. After this
about three or four dozen of the lit
tie girls and little boys of the town
marched with solder-like precision
onto the stage and arranged them
selves, the girls in front and the bows
IN the rear, each one having in hand
the Stars and Stripes. They first
sang Dixie" during which DR.. ]. w
Young marched out to the front of
the stage clad in the uniform of a
confederate officer and had a Con-
tederate flag in his hand. Gradually
ne began to furl it amid the plau-
dlts OF the audience. Then he re-
turned with our country's flag and
tne audience stood and shouted while
the dear little tots sang the Star
Spangled Banner" 1t was indeed a
beautiful. inspiring and patriotic
scene. But one of the chief matters
that excited the curiosity of the au
dience was the old time square dance.
These took their places. There were
elght couples, made up of the elder
ly as we'll as some of the Younger
set. The dance was called by that
erstwhlle artist in this line, Mr.. c. E.
Boushe, who showed as much skill in
his movements on the floor as q youth
in his teens. Mr.. ALEC" Patterson
got about with the grace of an ele-
phant. He tried all the frills of the
dance and was indeed a good prancer.
Had his legs been as long as his
voice he would no doubt have done
better in swinging" and fright hand |
to your partner"
The last number was the "fidders'
contest Four live. tho not all ven
cradle gentlemen. took their seats
near the front of the stage. The |
first one to entertain was Mr.. D. W. |
Beck. He played the "Arkansaw
Traveller" first and did this to per-
fection. He got all the music there !
was in this much-revered piece. One !
could almost see the log cabin, the
holes in the roof, the coon skins on |
the wall and the happy, shiftless but
contented man sitting by his door
drawing his bow back and forth as
he answered the inquiring traveller
about the road, about crossing the
pond, etc.
Next Mr.. j. R. Ross came to the
front and he, too, was an artist. He
swung his bow with cleverness and |
satisfaction and brought forth APP
plause.
Next was that venerable and high !
ly esteemed citizen of Coffeeville. |
Capt. j. l.. Collins. the hero of many /
contests. After him came Grenada's |
humorist and authority
on long" shaves. Maj. Alec Patter-
son. He was strictly in his element
and but for the fact that he was
pitted against some veterans, might
have carried off the prize. The
judges. Mesdapes R. D. Talbert and
F. S. Hill and Miss Mary Thomas,
awarded the prize to Mr.. D. w. Beck.
The prize was $3.50 in cash
Something slightly in excess of
500 was realized for the funds to be
lsed to send some of the less fortu-
nate veterans to the Reunion at
Washington.
The Camp, by DR.. ]. W. Young,
commander. tenders thanks in the
'ollowing words for the interest in
he contest:
The members of W. R. Barksdale !
camp Confederate Veterans wish to
Express their thanks and appreciation (
o every one who helped in the old
iddlers' contest and to the general s
ublic for its generous patronage"