The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1920-07-03
MERRY EVENING FOR
THE ROTARIANS

The Rotary Club has been taking a
great deal of interest in the Ocala IL
dustria1 School, and the appreciative
teachers and scholars of the institu-
tion, by way of return. prepared a
very interesting and original enter
tainment, for Friday evening, to
which they invited the Rotarians Al
good many members were out Of
town, but at least twenty-five accept
ed the invitation, and had a very
pleasant evening.
The performers used the parlor for
a stage while the audience was com-
fortably seated in the school room.
The entertainment began with a
Reuben and Rachel drill, in which
six girls made over with overalls and
slcuch hats into boys. were the
Rubes, and six girls in the country
fashions of the long ago, were the
Rachels. They were very cute, it
was hard to tell which were the best
locking, the "boys" or girls. They
hal. uproarious applause from the
Rotes as well as their fellow students.
The young performers in this piece
were:
Reubens: Emma Bats, Thelma Will
liams, Maud Lamerson, Leslie King,
LeoIa Wilson.
Rachels: Lucia Piazza, Louise Lee,
Theresa Caplin, Lena Disabb, Mamie
Brush.
Miss Leola Wilson, disguised as
the cutest of all little black-face com
edians, treated the crowd to sprightly
heel and toe dancing, which won her
so much applause that she almost
blushed her burnt cork off.
A very comicaI piece was "The
Sniggles Family" acted by Widow
Sniggles, Augusta Holt; Samanthy
Anne, coquette, Lucia Piazza; Je-
rushy, afflicted with hay fever, Vir-
ginia Lee; Angelica Regina Utopia,
an athlete, Irene Bonds; Silvicta Lo-
iena, a prima donna, Lucille Galloway;
Angina Pectoris, the pathetic soul,
Bertha Danch; Electoral Cassandra,
or Poll, elocutor. Mary Saxon; Me-
hitable, or Graciana Sublima, grace
full girl, Emma Bolts, and Jemima the
Giggler, Lena Disabb. All the per-
formers were funny, and Miss Angina
Pectoris fairly paralyzed the crowd
every time she wiggled out a wall
when she thought of her woes.
Miss Martha Ferry was pianist;
Miss Mamie Stoney. best known to her
friends as Johnny" was stage car
pe1lter. The entertainment was ar
ranged and managed by Miss Essie
McCreary, head teacher at the school.
After the play was over the school
folks and their guests went out on the
lawn where they sang "A Little Pra.
irie Flower" and went thru the evo-
lutions of "Shoofy" Then Miss Da-
Wis and several energetic helpers
brought out several juicy melons and
an old-time watermilyun cutting"
followed. The melons were sliced
just the proper thickness to bite thru
the supply seemed unlimited, and joy
was unconfned Half a dozen school
girls, each with a waiter laden with
artistically cut and juicy, sugary
slices of melons, made themselves
numerous, and nobody ran short IN.
less they lodged their willing helpers.
The Rotes became so intoxicated
with melon that they looked up at the
moon and sang the "S'wanee River
and several other songs, and soon
after Jake Gerig, who had been ssget-
ting wilder every hour" went on one
OF his fun jags.
Albert Gerig was heard to groan,
and his friends We're thinking of ask
ing the school folks for a bottle of
painkiller, for Albert had eaten too
much melon for boy his size. But
he said, "that kid brother of mine has
broken loose again. and just thell
Jake rushed toward the tub in which
the melon rinds were being throwd.
He had obviously realized that he
should do something to pay for his
fun. for he had tray full of rinds
balanced on his ivory dome, but lust
before he reached the tub the tray
skiddad and he had to distribute, or
rather concentrate the rinds by hand
His friends advised him to put sand
on his head before he tried that stunt
again. Then the crowd went back on
the porch and in the parlor, where
Albert Gerig began shaking jazz out
of the piano. This was all very well
but presently a. girl grabbed Jake by
the coattail, and said, "Mr. Gerig
amt you the man that sings The
Grasshopper.
The appeal was not to be denied, 81
Jake shucked his coat. in which he
was initiated by Albert. who sat dowr
at the piano, and then the voice oi
the grasshopper was heard in the
land. It's not so easy to induce ths
Gerig brothers to sing and play theil
masterpiece. which would make one O
the best vaudeville stunts in the Unit
ed States, but they capitulated to thil