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News Feature

Blue Hill
Web exclusive, May 11, 1961
REMEMBER WHEN Excerpts from The Weekly Packet, May 11, 1961
Despite the weather, 200 on hand to see IOOF, Rebekah production of local play
The Weekly Packet, Celebrating our 50th year

by Gayle Durnbaugh

More than 200 people braved the rain here Tuesday evening to see Blue Hill Lodge of Odd Fellows and Mountain Rebekah Lodge members romp through “School Daze,” a farce-comedy written by Dr. Philip Gray of Blue Hill, and it was difficult to determine who enjoyed it more—the audience or the cast.

While Winnie Wescott as Miss Cecilia Simpkins of Surry tried to keep order during the first and last day of school, her “scholars” vied for the audience’s attention, and George Candage as Horsie, Fred Astbury as Les, Don Wescott as Pork, Frank Day as Beans, Eliot Sweet as Stupe and Cecil Emerson as Scrapper took turns being impossible.

Fred Greene as Wheezy enjoyed being fought over by the girls and Phil Gray was the still-jaunty Civil War veteran ad head of the Blue Hill School Committee who got his girl, Minton Swinton.

Rosalie Emerson as Rosie, Esther Astbury as Goldilocks and Pauline Woods as Honeybunch proved to be completely wild and wooly in the classroom like their male counterparts, and Harriet Gray as Dolly, Freda Eaton as Polly and Hazel Day as Molly added to the fun.

Even the members of the audience got into the act when Walter Woods as the town drunk and Delila Torrey as his wife sat in the front row and made a series of scenes.

Ethola Sweet provided the background music and a quartet of cast members entertained during the intermission. Delila Torrey did makeup, and Harriet Gray coached the production.

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