August 3, 2014

Gearing up for the Peachfest Square Dance Festival with 25 great vintage square dance photos


The Okanagan Valley, very much including Penticton, is renowned the world over for it's longstanding history of growing some of the most scrumptious fruit, particularly stone fruit, you could ever hope to sink your teeth into. Perhaps no other fruit crop from this area is better known than the tremendously tasty peaches that can be found in abundance all through the area, in orchards and residents' backyards alike.

In fact, it was the widespread growth of peaches, and the agriculture economy that it bolstered significantly, which lead to the choice of names back in 1947 of the town's annual summer celebration called none other than the Penticton Peach Festival (or as most locals refer to it, Peach Fest). Though some of the particulars of Peach Fest have grown and changed over the years, variously elements remain the same, such as a fun parade down Main Street that includes a float with the Peach Festival Royalty and also, during the same few days, a great square dance festival.



{A picture postcard view of the Penticton Peach Festival parade making its way down Main Street, back in August 1958.}



Originally, though the two took place at, or around, the same time each August, the Penticton Square Dance Jamboree as it used to be known, was a separate event, however the two merged nine years ago and the the dancing side of things was renamed as the Peachfest Square Dance Festival (which, if you add up its time known under each of the two names, is in its 59th year now).

When I was a youngster, the Square Dance Jamboree used to be held in an outdoor sports park called King's Park that was just a few blocks over from the first house my family lived in here in Penticton and we would always, without fail, walk over and watch some of the events (the calling for which could be heard over the loudspeakers it was transmitted on all the way to our home) in the deliciously warm early evening air. None of us ever participated, though I did do my best to put together the most square dance inspired attire from my little wardrobe that I could as a young girl in the spirit of the event, but we all enjoyed the toe tapping, pulse racing, rhythmic energy of the country music and the South twang of the announcers almost poetic sounding calls.

In the spirit of this delightful annual event, I though it would be oodles of fun to share a selection of 25 terrific vintage square dancing images, spanning the 1930s on through to the 1960s, with you today (note: these images are not from past Penticton square dance festivals, they've been gathered from events, ads and other sources from around the world).

Though I've long watched this annual event, I don't profess to be an expert on it by and means and as such will make no attempts to describe these photos and illustrations (while putting together today's post, I came across this lovely, informative article on the history of square dancing which is well worth reading if you're interested in learning more on the topic). They all speak for themselves and having view this selection of charming vintage dance photos, I bet most of you will suddenly have an urge to don an especially wide pettiskirt, a gingham dress or patio set, plus a pair of sensible heels and hit the dance floor yourselves.




























































































{To learn more about a specific image, please click on it to be taken to its respective source.}



♥ ♥ ♥


In recent years, the Peachfest Square Dance Festival has shifted from its longstanding King's Park location outside to the Penticton Senior's Centre on South Main Street. Though I feel it looses a bit of its endearing summertime magic by no longer being held in the open air, it still makes for a rollickingly terrific time and is something I aim to attend at least one evening of, as a spectator, each time Peach Fest rolls around.

With that rounding the bend soon, starting as it always does on the first Wednesday after the August Civic Holiday long weekend, on the 6th to be exact (which coincidentally, just happens to be Tony's 34th birthday), I'll definitely be trying take in a night of high paced, fabulously costumed, good, old-fashioned square dancing and round dancing at the Senior's Centre (now, as when I was a youngster, sporting attire that channels the spirit of the event).

Aside from just having fun as a youngster, both at school and home, I've never done any square or round dancing, and know that such is well beyond my the scope of my health these days. That doesn't faze me at all though, as I've got the better part of a lifetime of watching it each summer under my belt and can hardly wait to do so again in a few days.

I look forward to grabbing my partner (Tony) and do-si-doing our way downtown to pull up a seat, clap along to the music, and smile up a storm as the dancers, most of whom are fabulously attired seniors, sashay across the wooden dance floor into the wee hours of the night.

23 comments:

  1. Oooh, peaches. Sounds like a delicious festival. And those photos are awesome, thank you for posting them. My father's parents were big square dancers, all the way up into their 80s. We even had square dancing lessons when I was in elementary school, and I would love to try it again.

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  2. oh my gosh, this is delightful!!! there's almost nothing i like better than great 50s western wear and old music. the Peach Fest sounds like an absolute dream and ill have to write that down on my ever growing list of things to do and places to go. i'm sure that must be an incredible thing to see! thank you for sharing this, dear, it really brightened my day!!!
    -Abigail

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  3. I hope you are able to go! I wonder if many people will wear vintage or vintage inspired square dancing outfits. So fun to see and go to!

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  4. I would love to know the story behind the photo of the group in front of the fireplace. Everyone's happy except for the lady on the far right who is staring daggers.

    We had a square dance section in P.E. each winter in elementary school. Everyone, including myself, complained about it, although I secretly loved it. I get other kids felt like I did but didn't dare admit it cuz of icky boy/girl cooties. lol

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  5. It took me a second look and some head scratching before I followed the link to find it really was the Queen square dancing! I really thought it was just a young woman with a striking resemblance. What a great photo though.

    We learned square dancing (and Polka) at school, but without any of the great dresses (just our stupid old ugly blue gymsuits!). It was a welcome break from gymnastics (at which I really, really really did not excel) .

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  6. These skirts are a dream! I love square dance but I can;t dance it. LOL
    Happy Monday!

    http://balearaitzart.blogspot.com.au/

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  7. I have been writing about those dress before on my blog, and your post is a wonderful addition to what I have seen before. I just love these dresses, they look amazing!

    I didn't know the climate in your region is so perfect for peaches. (Yes of course, living in Canada must be the same thing as living in Alaska… haha!) We grow peaches in our garden too (Northern Switzerland, similar to Alaska as well…), but usually we have spring freeze when they bloom, so our "harvest" is rather humble.

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  8. Oh those vintage square dancing dresses, I just love them. They remind me a bit of my new dirndl dress I bought in Austria. I will never dare go to work in it, but I simply had to have it. And just like you, I was almost obsessed with edelweiss jools, so now I have a complete set. Have to blog about it. Although I'm not into square dancing and don't know anything about Peach Fest, I really enjoyed this post. I always love vintage photos, they show the real world, and I always spot outfit details for inspiration. :)

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    1. Oooh, you really must, dear Sanne, I would absolutely love to see it! I have a plastic (circa 1930s/40s) edelweiss brooch that I wear each year when I celebrate, albeit in my own small, special, non-drinking kind of way, Oktoberfest, as well as at various other times throughout the year, too.

      Big hugs & many thanks for your wonderfully nice comments today,
      ♥ Jessica

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  9. Oh I just want to live in these photos and illustrations!!! Right up my alley!!

    xoxo
    -Janey

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    1. I was thinking of you the whole time I was researching and writing this post, dear Janey - wishing I could wave a magic wand and send all the fashions from it your way (and mine, too! :)). So happy to know that you enjoyed these lively vintage square dance images.

      Big hugs,
      ♥ Jessica

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  10. I love peaches but they are so hard to source from supermarkets here, as you buy them hard and they seem to go off the next day. Nothing like eating them close to source. As for square dancing, we went to a 60th birthday party a couple of weeks ago, there was a live band and a caller, such fun! I only managed two dances because of my health but it was such a memorable night. I was also one of only two ladies who wore big skirts which felt lovely and feminine when dancing. She trumped me though, as hers was tiered as well! Have fun watching, if you get to go x x

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    1. Sadly, even living in this peach filled region, that has, in recent years, far too often become the case here as well, particularly with peaches from the grocery store (those from road side stands and the farmer's market have a better chance of ripening properly and being the juicy globes of nature's succulent beauty that they should be!).

      That sounds like a splendidly fun evening! I doubt I'd get past two dances, if even that, myself, so I completely understand. Sideline toe tapping is the name of the game for me, but that doesn't mean that I enjoy such evenings any less. Sometimes it's just as fun to watch others do something you like as it is to take part yourself.

      Big hugs & many thanks for both of your comments today,
      ♥ Jessica

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  11. Is nice to learn about where you live. We're kind of known for producing bananas, however we do not have a festival. Now that I think of it we should :)
    I really like all the dancing in festivals idea, this is a bit out of reality where I live. I can actually picture it and it must be a delight to watch. It reminds me of the stories my grandmother tells me, when dancing was a social way to meet others.

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    1. That's such a great point, Lorena. Dancing as a social pastime and way to meet people, instead of just, say, a rigorous art form (like, ballet, for example) or at a night club, has certainly declined drastically in recent decades. It's such a shame, too! Dancing is fun, good exercise, usually very inexpensive to do, and a wonderful way to meet and connect with people. I wonder, as life becomes ever more expensive, will be start to see the return of social dances and the like in the years to come?

      ♥ Jessica

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  12. While not a huge fan of participating when it comes to square dancing (I had enough of it in middle school p.e. to last me a long time), it certainly is fun to watch and I love some of the outfits.

    I hope you'll get to go to the festival!

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  13. Happy birthday to Tony!

    The Peach Fest sounds like fun! That's definitely something I'd look forward to attending—the whirl of excitement and music and colour! I hope you both have a great time when you head to it. :)

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  14. I squared danced in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade. I had this awesome calf length full-ish skirt that was red and blue bandanna print. We had events that square danced for, PTA etc. Thanks for bringing back those memories!

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  15. And Happy Birthday to your wonderful hubby!

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  16. I wish I could have joined in with them in some of those photos. Looks like marvellous fun. I do like a bit of organised dancing like that. Such great outfits, I was having fun choosing which ones I would like to wear. Hope you had a great time at Peach Fest!

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  17. look at all those LOVELY squaw/square dancing dresses. just so freakin' cute. i have always loved that style though i'm not much of a dancer myself.

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  18. How did I miss this post? All these great square dancing images! I do hope you make it this year (2015).

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    1. You rock! Thank you for coming and commenting on this older post. I really love it when folks do. We work so hard a lot of the times on our posts, but a few days after they're up, many are as good as buried forever (not really, but it can seem that way). Getting a comment on one is reminder that they're still read and enjoyed sometimes.

      Thank you, I hope so as well. In the end I wasn't feeling well enough to make it to last year's, so I'll be trying all the more for 2015's (ditto for the parade that kicks off Peach Fest).

      Giant hugs,
      ♥ Jessica

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