Bovina Day 2011

Bovina had a busy weekend.  Friday night was the first Bovina Talent Under the Tent.  A number of folks came forward to share their entertaining skills.  Mary Hetterich, soon to be a vocal music major at Ithaca College, sang, accompanied by a friend (sorry, I didn't get his name).  Janet Stewart and her grandchildren told a story in music about a bear.  Two groups of Bovina's young women showed off their dance skills to great acclaim.  Harlo Bray, Chico Finn and Matt and Andy Pelletier, all musicians of the 'Bovina Rock' school, also performed.  And Bovina's librarian, Marjorie Miller, shared her vocal talents honed on Broadway. 

Matt and Andy Pelletier (with unknown participant)

Saturday was the actual Bovina Day - traffic in town was quite impressive.  Traffic jams are not the norm in Bovina.  Both Russell's Store and Heaven on Main Street were doing a booming business, as was the ice cream truck, driven by June Burns (sales benefiting the UP Church).  The museum was open in the morning to about 25 visitors.  There were yard sales about as far as the eye could see.  And the Bovina Library was doing a booming business in used books.

The afternoon saw the Bovina Day's 3rd annual vintage base ball game between the Bovina Dairymen and the Fleischmann's Mountain Athletic Club.  As Harlo Bray succinctly described the game "Up 6-1, after 3, and down 13-6, after 8-1/2, the good-guys scored 8 in the bottom of the ninth for a 14-13 victory! We played 1898-rules without an umpire." 

Image from Tim Harlo Bray

 The day wrapped up with the Town Picnic, which included a pie eating contest and several tugs of war (between the boys and girls and between the men and women).

Bovina Day is coming

Here's the schedule for Bovina Day:

BOVINA DAY EVE - FRIDAY  JULY 15

Bovina UP Church, Bovina Public Library and  Bovina Historical Society are teaming up to present…..

     

TALENT   UNDER  THE  TENT 

SHOWCASING BOVINA’S PREMIERE TALENT

7pm  - On the ball field next to the library

Come and enjoy an evening of entertainment  and lite refreshments

*****free will donations accepted*****

BOVINA DAY - SATURDAY, JULY 16

• 9:00 to 3:00 - Lawn Sales throughout Town
• 9:00 to 3:00 - Huge Tag Sale Featuring Gently Used Children's Toys and Clothes at the Bovina UP Church
• 9:00 to 3:00 - Book Sale at the Library
  
• 10:30 to 12:00 - Kid's Activity Tent on the Ball Field by the Library
  
• 12:00 - Vintage Baseball on the field by the Creamery
• 6:00 - Town Picnic on the Ball Field followed by the famous Women vs. Men Tug of War

The Bovina Museum will be open all day!
Look for the Ice Cream Truck!

Bovina Center Ladies softball team, 1920s.  Isabell Russell is second from the right.  And I think Ruth Coulter Parsons is in the back row.

Bovina Melodramas: Virtue's Reward!

I'm writing this at the Bovina Community Hall awaiting the premiere of the third in a seemingly never ending series of stories about Bovina written by an Anonymous Lady of Bovina. This one is set in 1890 and includes Paris Hilson, a woman of dubious character, Brawney LaFever, our hero, Sneezy Jeepers, our villian. The Jeepers family have appeared in all three melodramas - he has brothers Snidely and Sneaky. I've been told the family was quite large and lived in a hollow (or holler). So the stores may continue. These events are a fund raiser for the Bovina Public Library.

So it starts: Pansy Flowers and her daughter Aster mother and daughter are upset about Sneezy Jeepers wanting their rent to be paid. Pansy paints watercolors of Bovina heifers. Sneezy has just showed up. He was going to reveal his real name but he sneezed too much. So he's demanding the rent and if not rent, Pansy will have to marry Jeepers. Sneezy has revealed his adopted deaf mute child. Pansy has refused to marry Sneezy so she and her daughter are praying. In steps Rev. Doright Huggable of the Bovina UP Church - Pansy and Aster are thrilled to see him. Unfortunately, he has not succeeded in collecting enough money for the rent, but they will always make sure that they have the finest Bovina Milk, Butter and Ground Chuck. Paris Hilson has arrived, looking for the Reverend. She's hot to trot for the Reverend. But she's a singer, dancer, actor and entertainer. Gasps galore! She's revealed horrible news about Sneezy Jeepers' plans for his deaf mute child. She knows this because Jeepers did the same thing to her. And now arrive Brawney LaFever and the Handsome Stranger with a Beard. Well, Paris has a LaFever for Brawney LaFever! After trying to get the Handsome Stranger to speak, unsuccessfully, back comes Jeepers demanding the rent or marriage. Jeepers reveals Paris Hilson as disreputable, but Brawney has only eyes for Paris. And the Handsome Stranger turns out to be Pansy's husband! Paris gives Jeepers the rent and tells him to scram. But when he tried to take the deaf mute to 'boarding school' (gasps) everyone steps in to stop this travesty. The great Bovina Creamery flood of 1888? Everyone thought Pansy's son Crocus died in this flood. Well, gasp, the deaf mute is the missing son, dressed as a girl by Jeepers. Handsome Stranger clobbers Jeepers. Brawney clobbers him. The reverend condemns him. And the audience throws stuff at him. And Sneezy's name turns out to be 'Snodgrass' ('Snodgrass?'). But he can be saved by the goodness in Bovina. 'One of the most glorious spots on God's green earth.' Rock my soul in the bosom of Abraham. And Sneezy is cured of all his evilness! Applause. The End.

Ok, this will look all very confusing - and Bovina history took a few steps back tonight ('I've got a LaFever for Brawney LaFever?' Geesh!). But what fun! So I post it as written.

A Week in Bovina, Part II

A short update concerning my week in Bovina. I spent two days in Delhi doing research on various Bovina topics. I have found which farm was the farm of Reverend John Graham (it's about a half-mile from my house). The Delaware County Historical Association let me photograph the Cora Livingston Barton rent book that is in their collection. Today, I met the new Delaware County Historian, Gabrielle Pierce, where she allowed me to photograph a Bovina store ledger from the early 1830s and the 1911 Bovina UP Church Cookbook. I found some interesting recipes that are going to form the basis of a few blog postings.

One that really puzzled me was 'Railroad Yeast.' Here it is in full:

"Seven medium sized potatoes, boiled; 3 tablespoons flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon salt. Mash potatoes very fine; stir all together, then pour 1 qt. boiling water on, stir until all is smooth, then add one pt. cold water; when cool, put in one yeast cake."

I need to figure out what you do next, since this was the whole recipe. I assume you put it right into a bread recipe, but who knows?

One other thing about the cookbook - no temperatures are given. There are two recipes for maple mousse and a recipe for Snickerdoodles that is a bit difference from the one I use (it includes raisins).

I hope to try some of these recipes, but not while the weather is so hot. Cold food will be best for now!

Don't forget Bovina Day on Saturday, the 17th, with the 2nd annual Brushland Melodrama the evening before.

A Week in Bovina

For the first time since 2005, I'm spending a full week in Bovina. I've got some stuff to deal with concerning my house and also hope to simply relax and get out on my bike a bit. I'm also taking time to do some research on Bovina history. This week, I'm going to verify where Bovina Pastor John Graham's farm was located and look for deeds related to stores in Bovina.

My week in Bovina will end with Bovina Day, sponsored by the Bovina Historical Society. Bovina Day will include a town wide yard sale from 9 to 3 and a vintage baseball game, with the Bovina Dairymen taking on Roxbury. The Bovina UP Church will be open where I will be showing a small slide show of pictures and videos from the Bicentennial Celebration last October. Russell's Store will be open and the Bovina Library will have its annual book sale. And the evening before will be two presentations of yet another Bovina Melodrama, in aid of the library.

So come and celebrate Bovina - and be sure to stop by the church and say hello.

Upcoming Summer Events in Bovina

Here's an early heads-up on two summer events in Bovina. The annual Bovina Day will be July 17, including a book sale at the library and the community yard sale. The evening before will feature the third installment of the never ending series of Bovina Melodramas. And on September 5, during Labor Day weekend, the second annual Bovina Farm Day will take place. As these dates get closer, I'll pass along more information.

So mark your calendars and come celebrate Bovina!

Bovina Day 2009 DVD

Back on July 19, I reported in my blog about Bovina Day 2009. Well, during my brief visit to Bovina today, I bought a DVD of Bovina Day, produced by Chris Ingvordsen and presented by the Bovina Historical Society. It opens with yours truly making some of his remarks at the town picnic. Don't worry, it gets better from there! The DVD includes excerpts of the Bovina Dairymen baseball game, the parade, the pie eating contest, and the tug of war. And I finally got to see snippets of the famed "Brushland Melodrama," presented the evening before, featuring Brent and Kent Tremble, Snidely Jeepers and a previously unknown branch of my family tree, Lily "Lips" LaFever. The DVD is available at Russell's Store for $10, proceeds to benefit the Bovina Historical Society.

Bovina Day Pictures

Garret Savage has posted on Flickr pictures he took at Bovina Day on July 18 of the vintage baseball game between the Bovina Dairymen and the Fleischmanns Athletic Club:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/garrets/sets/72157622033908922/show/

Enjoy!