It is “Fair Week” in Altenburg. That is my excuse for not composing a new post for today. A lot of folks around here are sprucing up their properties in preparation for the onslought of thousands of visitors to our annual East Perry Commnunity Fair. We’re hearing the sound of plenty of lawn mowers. We are seeing people cleaning their houses and planting flowers. Altenburg is a pleasant little town on most days, but during Fair Week, it is particularly charming.
The attached post was first published during the first year of this blog back in 2016. I know that I have shared it before in subsequent years, but I particularly enjoy looking at the old photos from fairs in the past, so I will share it once again today. I decided to add just a few more old photos for this post. To begin with, here is a photo of 3 young ladies who were said to be the first drum majorettes for the East Perry Band at the fair. From left to right, they are Jeanette Boehme, Paula Oehlert, and Dorothy Kaltwasser.
Next, we see a photo of the East Perry Band at the fair. As you can see, this band was made up of primarily, if not entirely, brass instruments and drums.
The photo below shows the parade coming down Church Street as they approach the fairgrounds. You can see Trinity Lutheran Church’s steeple in the background.
Finally, here is a picture of a Log Cabin College float that was part of the parade at some time. Perhaps it was in the 1947 parade which would have been the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. I think this is an amazingly accurate replica of the real thing.
Most folks around here volunteer to perform much-needed tasks to make our fair a success. I will be helping with the parade set-up tomorrow. We have plans for you to see plenty of parade photos on this blog, but I myself will not be able to be a spectator at that event. Without the help of local residents, this fair would not have become the great tradition that it has become.
As has been the case on this blog in past years, the posts we will publish on the next few days will be fair-related, not the usual genealogy-related stories. We hope you enjoy celebrating the fair with us, even if you cannot actually be here yourself.