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Another year and the Old Courthouse Ball has struck again.
I was enjoying the company of Anna Allen and Silvana Siddalis both of whom threatened to take away my daily ration of gruel unless I posted something about the ball.
Minutes before leaving for the ball I was frantically working to get my boots polished and tried covering the hobnails with something so I wouldn’t end up on the floor during the polka.
Promptly at 9:30 I picked up Miss Anna and Miss Silvana.
I’m quite a ladies’ man, in fact the belles they all declare
they never had a beau before who walked so militaire;
My whiskers and my mustachios, resist their charms who can,
It is their fascination makes me quite a ladies’ man
Little did we know we would spend the next two hours getting explicit direction and instruction in the Waltz from Mrs. Deborah Hyland. Needless to say we all are very proficient in that dance now and I plan to look into some graduate credits from the seminar. She ran an excellent ball and I learned quite a bit about period dancing.
After the seminar and about the time for lunch copious ammounts of public and band members from the Free Silver Band were in and out of the hall ways setting up.
We all went to the restaurant across the street. It was Silvana, Jeremy, Anna, a couple whose names I now forget and myself. We ate quite a lunch and finished with enough time to stroll down to the levy to look for steamboat parts
I’m partial to a monlight walk, I like a morning ride
with Lady Mary Cavendish, in all here youth and pride;
I love to visit the Bazaar, the trifles there to scan,
I never go to Crockfords now I’m quite a ladies’ man
After a brisk walk back to the Old Courthouse I had just enough time to primp myself for the ball and barely had enough time to find a partner for the grand entrance. There were fewer people this year than last but more room for dancing. After chasing each other around the tree for what seemed like a few minutes we applauded the band and danced the first waltz.
I danced with more women at the ball doing a couple Virginia Reels, Waltz, followed by the
Cow Choker, and the Landers but there was one dance that beat anything you ever saw, called the Robinson Scotch - Itch. I was afraid to dance it for fear I would catch it. Now just as we were preparing to dance the Redowa, in rushed this slick lookin waiter, with a big dinner dish tied to a string, and a drum stick in his hand, and he beat that dinner dish with all his might, and tried to break it; but the dinner dish was too much for him
As soon as they heard it that gal I was dancing with was the first one to the table; she sat down right in front of a big chicken; and you ought to have seen that chicken after she sat there for fifteen minutes. ‘Cause it looked just like a frame house struck by lighting, I thought I would take a hack at that chicken myself but she put herself on the outside of the whole carcass.
Then we had eighteen carrot vegetable soup, an double barrled cat-chup
It was all catched up before I got any of it but by golly there was one dish there I never saw such a dish called Cold Slop. It looked like a head of lettuce hit by a masked battery. About that time my gal made one of the awfullest calls you ever heard. She called the waitress for a yard of pork (three pigs feet).
As usual the ball was short but charming. The dinner part actually came after the ball but I knows a good story when I tell it.
After breaking company with such wonderful companions as the Bears and many new acquaintences Silvana wanted a night tour of some historic houses.
Doug, Jeremy, Anna, Silvana, and I ended up taking pictures at the Oakland house and the DeMenil Mansion. Since the DeMenil house was hosting a bar-Mizvah we were chased away by a waiter but we were able to walk around the property and get a nice look at the front of the Mansion. There were some photo’s taken and some searching to see if any orbs made their way into the pictures. In all seriousness I had the best time with Silvana and Anna since we ended up transporting them in my carriage. Silvana in her blue Dress and Anna in her burgandy dress were very beautiful and I felt blessed that I was able to enjoy their company until the bitter end.
‘Tis pleasant when the heart is free, to watch the maiden’s smile
To mark her eyes’ bewitching glance the youthful heart beguile;
But I can gaze on beauty bright, and I’d much rather than
Peru’s rich mines were mine to boast, be quite a ladies man
Since 9 PM was a bit early to call it a night we went to another establishment so Doug could get some desert. The locals started to get overly concerned about our clothing and began to mistake us with Christmas Carolers we decided that we needed a contingency plan so if anyone asks, PBS is working on a series called 1856 house. Saturday night was the one night PBS let us out of the house. We had a lot of fun talking about plucking chickens, blowing up beer carboys, chopping firewood and stuff. One dude said “So they don’t let you watch football?..."Do they let you have exercise machines?” We had to fight our desperate need to laugh especially after he went in and told his friends about us. They in turn ran to where we were stuck their head out the door to look at us thinking they were looking a real live actors. We even had our waiter going. We might have been there all night had we not gotten tired. Alas the evening came to an end and I had to bid adeau to my two very lovely companions.
Frank Aufmuth
Star of the West Society
I was enjoying the company of Anna Allen and Silvana Siddalis both of whom threatened to take away my daily ration of gruel unless I posted something about the ball.
Minutes before leaving for the ball I was frantically working to get my boots polished and tried covering the hobnails with something so I wouldn’t end up on the floor during the polka.
Promptly at 9:30 I picked up Miss Anna and Miss Silvana.
I’m quite a ladies’ man, in fact the belles they all declare
they never had a beau before who walked so militaire;
My whiskers and my mustachios, resist their charms who can,
It is their fascination makes me quite a ladies’ man
Little did we know we would spend the next two hours getting explicit direction and instruction in the Waltz from Mrs. Deborah Hyland. Needless to say we all are very proficient in that dance now and I plan to look into some graduate credits from the seminar. She ran an excellent ball and I learned quite a bit about period dancing.
After the seminar and about the time for lunch copious ammounts of public and band members from the Free Silver Band were in and out of the hall ways setting up.
We all went to the restaurant across the street. It was Silvana, Jeremy, Anna, a couple whose names I now forget and myself. We ate quite a lunch and finished with enough time to stroll down to the levy to look for steamboat parts
I’m partial to a monlight walk, I like a morning ride
with Lady Mary Cavendish, in all here youth and pride;
I love to visit the Bazaar, the trifles there to scan,
I never go to Crockfords now I’m quite a ladies’ man
After a brisk walk back to the Old Courthouse I had just enough time to primp myself for the ball and barely had enough time to find a partner for the grand entrance. There were fewer people this year than last but more room for dancing. After chasing each other around the tree for what seemed like a few minutes we applauded the band and danced the first waltz.
I danced with more women at the ball doing a couple Virginia Reels, Waltz, followed by the
Cow Choker, and the Landers but there was one dance that beat anything you ever saw, called the Robinson Scotch - Itch. I was afraid to dance it for fear I would catch it. Now just as we were preparing to dance the Redowa, in rushed this slick lookin waiter, with a big dinner dish tied to a string, and a drum stick in his hand, and he beat that dinner dish with all his might, and tried to break it; but the dinner dish was too much for him
As soon as they heard it that gal I was dancing with was the first one to the table; she sat down right in front of a big chicken; and you ought to have seen that chicken after she sat there for fifteen minutes. ‘Cause it looked just like a frame house struck by lighting, I thought I would take a hack at that chicken myself but she put herself on the outside of the whole carcass.
Then we had eighteen carrot vegetable soup, an double barrled cat-chup
It was all catched up before I got any of it but by golly there was one dish there I never saw such a dish called Cold Slop. It looked like a head of lettuce hit by a masked battery. About that time my gal made one of the awfullest calls you ever heard. She called the waitress for a yard of pork (three pigs feet).
As usual the ball was short but charming. The dinner part actually came after the ball but I knows a good story when I tell it.
After breaking company with such wonderful companions as the Bears and many new acquaintences Silvana wanted a night tour of some historic houses.
Doug, Jeremy, Anna, Silvana, and I ended up taking pictures at the Oakland house and the DeMenil Mansion. Since the DeMenil house was hosting a bar-Mizvah we were chased away by a waiter but we were able to walk around the property and get a nice look at the front of the Mansion. There were some photo’s taken and some searching to see if any orbs made their way into the pictures. In all seriousness I had the best time with Silvana and Anna since we ended up transporting them in my carriage. Silvana in her blue Dress and Anna in her burgandy dress were very beautiful and I felt blessed that I was able to enjoy their company until the bitter end.
‘Tis pleasant when the heart is free, to watch the maiden’s smile
To mark her eyes’ bewitching glance the youthful heart beguile;
But I can gaze on beauty bright, and I’d much rather than
Peru’s rich mines were mine to boast, be quite a ladies man
Since 9 PM was a bit early to call it a night we went to another establishment so Doug could get some desert. The locals started to get overly concerned about our clothing and began to mistake us with Christmas Carolers we decided that we needed a contingency plan so if anyone asks, PBS is working on a series called 1856 house. Saturday night was the one night PBS let us out of the house. We had a lot of fun talking about plucking chickens, blowing up beer carboys, chopping firewood and stuff. One dude said “So they don’t let you watch football?..."Do they let you have exercise machines?” We had to fight our desperate need to laugh especially after he went in and told his friends about us. They in turn ran to where we were stuck their head out the door to look at us thinking they were looking a real live actors. We even had our waiter going. We might have been there all night had we not gotten tired. Alas the evening came to an end and I had to bid adeau to my two very lovely companions.
Frank Aufmuth
Star of the West Society
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