In this turn-of-the-century shot, these men were finishing paving Main Street in Watertown, Wisconsin. The pic was taken by Henry Bergman in 1900. A wider shot includes the foreman to the left. I think I’d prefer his job. Easier on the joints.
And these days? Well, they do it like this.
Clerks at this Lawrence, Kansas drugstore hammed it up at the soda fountain 117 years ago. Up high, you can see the fruit flavors listed. They were dispensed to the right, out of the “papier-mache grotto.” Weird, right? Patent medicines lined the shelves, including Dr. Pierce’s Golden Medical Discovery, “the idea spring tonic and blood purifier.” And I’d love to know what that little bird statue is for.
These happy patrons were enjoying Wurstfest, a Texas tradition since 1963. Held annually in New Braunfels, Texas, they offer “good food, music, dancing, exciting carnival rides and games, German, Texan and domestic beer, special events and the finest in Alpine and Bavarian Style Entertainment.”
This sign from the 1975 event reveals that the drinking age was then 18, not 21.
Local colleges had been preparing students for weeks.
University of Texas students who could not travel to New Braunfels participated at home, drinking from kegs in homage to Alpine and Bavarian tradition.
These gals didn’t even mind singing for their supper frosty mugs of beer.
What about you? Would you sing a chorus for an ice cold beer?
I love the expressions on these college kids.
This party’s theme appears to be tropical.
Granted, Faith Hill wasn’t born yet, but she sure looks kin to that lady on the right.
Fat chance you’ll get crowned Mr. or Miss Howdy, but no harm in trying. 
Tarzan, a funny pages vampire (?), and a big-forearmed Popeye
Wonder Twin powers: activate! Form of: Shelly and Wendy!
And this next one? Well, I sure hope it was Halloween. Otherwise, there’s too much estrogen in his chicken nuggets.
The posture and expression of this 1949 flapper throwback suggest she knows more secrets of the night than her cowboy companion. Sassy with those plumes in her hair!
Below could be an actual 1941 Halloween function. I spy Indians Native Americans, a swami, baby dolls…
Send in the clowns in 1960.
That’s a lot of polka dots!
It’s a pretty common occurrence to find pictures like this of Sadie Hawkins Dances in my 1940s-1950s yearbooks. Tattered clothing, corn cob pipes, and overalls with only one arm on the shoulder were de rigueur. Guests often posed on haystacks such as those above.
The Sadie Hawkins dance is named after the Li’l Abner homely comic strip character Sadie Hawkins, created by cartoonist Al Capp. In the strip, the unmarried women of Dogpatch, a hillbilly mountain village, got to chase the bachelors and “marry up” with the ones they caught. The event was introduced in the daily strip, which ran on November 15, 1937.
Consequently, Sadie Hawkins dances are traditionally held in November, with the first official one being held on November 9, 1938. Within a year, hundreds of schools followed suit. By 1952, the event was reportedly celebrated at 40,000 known venues. If nothing else, it empowered women to do the asking–and perhaps face rejection.
In the comic, the voluptuous Daisy Mae has the hots for the dense and simple-minded 6’3″ Abner, hardly “l’il” at all.
Participants at the dances often wore tattered clothing or plaid shirts.
In the next photo, you can see that not much had changed as far as attire in the 25 years since its original inception and this 1964 Sadie Hawkins Dance.
What about you? Did you ever attend a Sadie Hawkins Dance? Did people dress up like the L’il Abner characters, or was it purely a girls-ask-boys affair?
I Don't Get It 