The Republican., 1941-08-21
By KATHERINE SCARBOROUGH
Special Writer in The Baltimore
Sunday Sun

Throughout rural Maryland the
firemen's carnival season is at its
height. There is scarcely a town OF
any size in the State which does not
hold one of these characteristic cele-
brations during the summer and out
in Western Maryland, and in the adj
joining sections of Virginia, West
Virginia and Pennsylvania, they are
so numerous that even the most in
defatigable visiting fireman alive
would be hard pressed to make the
rounds
Strangers Wear Hats
The pattern they follow is we'll de-
fined and varies little from place to
place For an entire week the whole
community in which the carnival is
held is filled with a circus atmos-
phere which, tamped down during the
day by the compulsions of bread
winning, flares up at dusk. Suddenly
all roads lead to the field on the edge
of town which has mushroomed with
tents, booths, trailers and mechanical
amusement devices calculated to eX-
tract a steady flow of nickels and
dimes, with a percentage of each ear
marked for the local fire fighting
equipment
Long before dark every bit of avail
able parking space is filled with cars
good cars they are, too
of families which have driven any
where from two to twenty five or
thirty miles to take in the fun. Sober
ly their occupants make the circuit
of the grounds before deciding where
to frisk the first nickel. Some of the
men and practically all of the boys
are coatless. Every woman has a
permanent wave. There is an amaz-
ing number of girls who look too
young to be high-school graduates
but who wander around carrying a
sleeping infant on one arm and guide
the steps of a stumbling toddler with
the other. There are old people who
take their fun with more relish than
the younger fry, and a sprinkling Of
Summer people" who can be identi-
fled by the fact that they wear hats.
Most popular of all is the photog-
rapher's booth, with five-and-ten
mirror before which to prink in ad-
vance of being "taken." The gambling
spirit is strong. Somebody is always
pitching pennies at a number or try
ing to exchange dimes for dollars at a
booth where the wheel goes round and
round and usually stops at the wrong
place A handful of sheepish-looking
men buy admission into Hollywood
Show" and emerge with crestfallen
faces. Girls stroll by with papier
mache dogs of strange breed hugged
to their breasts. Youngsters take to
the swings and the merry -go-round
grinding out swing music.
More Customers Than Hamburgers
Tons of hamburger and hot dogs
are consumed. Up at the Grantsville,
Garrett county, carnival, which took
place the latter part of July, $131.62
was taken in during one evening at
the hamburger stand representing a
consumption of 78 pounds of chopped
meat. In addition 1856 "wiener" sand
wiches were served the same evening
though the total population of
Grantsville is only about 500. All of
the cooking was done on a two-burner
oil stove and Mrs Henry L. burst,
whose husband is chief of the Grants
vile volunteers and who was in
charge of the booth, declared that at
least twice as many more could have
been sold had the facilities been
equal to the demand.
For Prizes and Prestige
The high point of every carnival is,
of course, the parade. The local COM
pany joins with those of the sur
rounding area to put on a demOnstra-
ton which creates more excitement
than the community will know again
for twelve months. Each company is
out not only to win cash prize, but
to capture the kudos that goes with
it. Awards are made to the organiza
ton displaying the best piece of ap-
paratus, to the one which has come
the greatest distance, to the best
float, to the "best appearing" organ
ization, and so on. Each piece of ap-
paratus is polished up to glory and
each fireman is turned out in a we'll
fitting uniform with brass buttons
shining like miniature suns.
Ladies in Uniform
Ladies' auxiliaries are in line, with
natty uniforms varying in color and
design according to the unit to which
they are attached. The drum major is
an important figure and this season
has developed a cult of sthe drum
majorette in white satin and gold
braid, with high boots and plumed
cap which jerks this way and that as
its wearer twists and struts at the
head of the band.
The fireman's carnival is held for
the sole purpose of raising funds for
the support of an organization which
renders vital service to the commun-
ity in which it functions, with no fl
nancial return to it's members. Po-
litical boundary lines do not exist for