Sweet Sixteen
Sunday, May 23, 1915
Dearest Mother,
I just got home from Eloise White’s where I stayed all night. You know I went to the boating party with her brother. We left Portland about eight and docked at twelve. I had lots of fun – danced almost all evening. I am getting quite proud of my progress in the art. I am not afraid to accept any dance now, although I often get out of step but I am at least more confident. A boy I danced with quite a bit is going to take me to the Prom. I am sorry I can’t have a new dress but understand the situation perfectly. I don’t know whether I will wear the blue or the pink. I will have to have shoes and hose but I will borrow the gloves from Ruth. I really had a dandy time last night and am glad I went…
With lots of love, Medora
I’m not exactly sure what was entailed in a “boating party” of a century ago, but it would seem that it involved dancing of some sort. My aunt Medora was writing from “The Hall,” a boarding establishment run by Miss Colina Campbell, where she lived while attending Portland Academy. She was ‘sweet sixteen’ and her frequent letters home were increasingly filled with news about boys and parties and boating and dances.
Getting Ready for the 2012 Regatta
Fast forward a hundred years or so to last night at our Friday gathering. There were a large number of folks here, it being the start of Memorial Day Weekend, and several conversations going. At one point Tucker and Betsy and I were talking about whether it was time to put boats in the water and start ‘practicing’ for the regatta.
“It’s still too cold out,” said Betsy. And Tucker conceded as to how he didn’t think ‘practice’ was the operable word, anyway. He described years that he hadn’t even put his boat in the bay until close to or maybe the day of the race (which is usually in August.) It was a discussion full of laughter and fun – our Oysterville sailors of the twenty-first century don’t take themselves too seriously.
Annual Regatta, c. 1870s
No place in the discussion was the word ‘party’ mentioned (as in Medora’s “boating party”) and never (as far as I know) has there been a consideration given to dancing in connection with the modern Oysterville regattas. However, in the days of the original regattas, back in the 1870s and ‘80s, there was a ‘Regatta Ball’ hosted each year after the race by the Oysterville Yacht Club! It was held in the hall above the saloon.
Hmmm. Whatever happened to that hall above the saloon, anyway? For that matter… what happened to the saloon? And how have we lost sight of the dancing?
The problem today is it’s too difficult to dance with someone while you both hold a phone and text at the same time…