A black-face minstrel show was presented as part of the entertainment at the annual Sunday School Picnic of Zion (Klinger’s) Lutheran and Reformed Church, Erdman, Lykens Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. This was the fifth consecutive year that this church sponsored this type of event, of which, the black-face portion was referred to as “wholesome entertainment.” And it was claimed that the entire program would be conducted with “home talent.”
Several articles appeared in local newspapers describing the upcoming event.
From the Lykens Standard, 21 June 1957:
KLINGER’S SUNDAY SCHOOL WILL HOLD MINSTREL SHOW
On June 22 [1957], the annual picnic of Klinger’s Lutheran and Reformed Church Sunday School will be held in the church grove, four miles north of Gratz. For the fifth consecutive year, the entertainment will be a minstrel show presented entirely of home talent.
A chorus of twenty-five voices will present a varies selection of old time hits and those with a modern swing. There is something for everyone — young and old, gay or stern.
A program of the most alluring music, of course, is interspersed with wholesome entertainment by six of the most versatile end men, assisted by the interlocutor Harry O. Klinger. The end men are: Stovepipe, Doughnut, Leakproof, Oilcan, Blowout and Ragweed, played respectively by Ray Kessler, Lester Smeltz, Alma Klinger, DelRoy Straub, Guy Rothermel, and William Klinger.
The picnic will get on its way with the serving of food. On the menu are ham and chicken platters, with all the trimmings, chicken corn soup, barbecues, coffee, cakes, pies, ice cream, sodas, etc.
So meet your friends and have a “good old reunion” amidst good entertainment and with good food to enjoy.
The date – June 22 – rain date June 23.
The Elizabethville Echo, June 13, 1957, gave a much more comprehensive description of the entertainment:
KLINGER’S CHURCH PICNIC JUNE 22
The annual picnic of Klinger’s Lutheran and Reformed Sunday School will be held in the church grove at Erdman, four miles north of Gratz, Saturday, June 22 [1957]. rain date will be June 23.
For the fifth consecutive year, the entertainment program will feature a minstrel show, presented entirely by local talent, under the direction of Mrs. Harry C. Klinger.
A chorus of twenty-five voices will present old time and modern hits, including “Bedelia,” “Carolina Moon,” “Little by Little,” and “Banana Boat song.”
Also participating in the program will be members of the Children’s Department, featuring a pre-school group in the popular, “Here We Go Looby Loo,” a tap dance by Karen Rothermel, a song by Joyce Smeltz, accordion solo by Mary Cardella Klinger, humorous dialogues by Mary Ann Klinger and James Kessler, and a reading by Paul Lubold.
A novelty song and dance number, “Tiptoe Through the Tulips” will be presented by the ladies of the show, and a trio of ladies will present a dance to the tune of “Strolling Through the Park.”
The program is interspersed with wholesome entertainment by six end men and interlocutor Harry O. Klinger. The end men, “Stovepipe,” “Doughnut,” “Leakproof,” “Oilcan,” “Blowout,” and “Ragweed,” will be played by Ray Kessler, Lester Smeltzer, Alma Klinger, Delroy Straub, Guy Rothermel, and William Klinger.
Ladies of Minstrelsy are: “Miss Red Cardinel,” Mrs. Marlin Schade; “Miss Yellow Canary,” Mrs. Guy Rothermel; “Mrs. Robin Redbreast,” Mrs. William Klinger; and “Mrs. Coal Blackbird,” Mrs. Lester Smeltz.
The ladies of Klinger’s Church will serve a picnic dinner, beginning at 5:00 p.m. The menu will include chicken and ham platters, barbecues, chicken corn soup, coffee, sodas, ice cream, cake, candy pies, etc.
A later article in the Elizabethville Echo, June 20, 1957, summarized the events in the following way:
Featured on the entertainment program will be a minstrel show, presented by local talent under the direction of Mrs. Harry C. Klinger.
Old time and modern song favorites will be presented by a chorus of twenty-five voices. Also participating in the program will be members of the Children’s Department, including a group of pre-school age children….
The article then gave the names of the interlocutor and the end men, which was the same as what appeared in the Standard article and previous Echo article.
It did not have to be stated in the notices that the “end men” would be appearing in black-face.
White men and women, who blackened their faces, and performed emphasizing negative stereotypical behavior that they attributed to African Americans, for the purpose of getting laughs were often the most prominent people in the community. In the case of this production it was supported by the Zion (Klinger’s) Lutheran and Reformed Church of Erdman and even the youngest children (pre-school) were part of the program.
This post is part of a series in which news articles, photographs and other “memorabilia” are presented to show how “black-face” was infused into the culture of the Lykens Valley area. Readers are invited to submit photos and recollections on how long this offensive “entertainment” lasted and what locals thought of it as part of the culture of the area.
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News articles from Newspapers.com.
Corrections and additional information should be added as comments to this post.