Arcadia Fair, 1879

EWOLDT, KRAUSE, THIELKE, BILLERBECK, MEIS, PAPE, NIEMANN

Posted By: David Reineke (email)
Date: 5/15/2005 at 19:32:17

I translated the following article from Der Carroll Demokrat, a German-language newspaper published in Carroll, Iowa, between about 1874 and 1920. It was originally published on 7 November 1879. Any information in brackets or notes at the end are my own explanations. It reads as follows:

The Fair in Arcadia

Since we had not been in Arcadia for some time, we decided to pay a visit to the celebration there. On Wednesday, the last day of the fair, we made our way up to the exalted high ground earlier known as “Tip-Top.” The progress that the town had made since the last time we were there was amazing, and as we were informed, there is more talk than ever before of incorporating the town. Henry Niemann will be proposed as the first mayor, and since he was wearing the appropriate headgear during the celebration, it seems quite believable . . .

But indeed it is not our assignment to report on Arcadia, and its ups and downs, but to describe the fair, because although we looked around the town a little, for now we must forego the opportunity due to lack of space. Upon arriving at Henry Ewoldt’s, the first thing we saw was the fair hall. All imaginable items were placed on display, either for sale or for the raffle. The very dear ladies urged visitors to take the opportunity to acquire some of the objects on display. And we ourselves were soon the lucky owners of a few raffle tickets, which did not win anything, even though we were assured by some charming people that we would win a prize. After we had properly satisfied ourselves with a fine meal, we met with the members of the Mt. Carmel “Concordia,” all of whom were old friends and acquaintances. To the benefit of the fair, they presented the play “Der gescheidte Nazl” [The Clever Nazl], which was performed to everyone’s enjoyment. The actors had all memorized their parts well, and did their job very well, but Mr. Frank Krause distinguished himself as Joseph, Mr. A. Thielke distinguished himself as Schnauzbart, and B. Billerbeck as Meister Peck. Mr. Conrad Meis, who directed the performances, especially earned the thanks of the public for the enjoyable evening which he provided. The entire three-day festival was extremely successful, and with the outward rivalry and the inner cooperation of the men and women with their worthy pastor, Rev. Father Pape, it is no wonder that such a result was achieved. The proceeds amounted to $625. The public came from near and far and was made up of Germans, Irish, and Americans, who socialized in the most pleasant fashion and were most liberal in contributing their money for the good cause.