Saga of the Sanpitch Volume 13, 1981 - Sanpete County

welcomed the people and the guests who made yearly trips back to the old home town for the celebration.
The town's most talented soprano sang "America," putting into her song all the love she had for her native
land. The mayor introduced the speaker; he gave a patriotic talk and extolled the virtues of our great country.
Before the speaker was through talking, we were anxious to get out to the street to see what was
going on outside, and to spend our last few pennies, if we were fortunate enough to have any left.
As we walked out the chapel door, we could hear the bang-bang of fire crackers as they exploded all
over town. When we girls were least expecting it, some mischievous boy would throw a fire cracker at our
feet. The more we screamed and the higher we jumped, the harder the boys laughed.
Now tired and weary, we trudged home for a bite of lunch and to rest our aching feet. We shared our
experiences and a bit of our popcorn with our parents. After eating and resting for a little while, back to town
we walked with an extra 10 or 15c given to us to spend by an affectionate older brother. To the ball game
we went between Ephraim and a neighboring town. After the game was over, we turned our weary footsteps
toward home, ate a supper of bread and milk and then to bed. It had been a glorious day and we were already
planning for the next Fourth of July as our eyelids slowly closed and sleep overcame us.
Source: Personal recollection of the author.
SANDING THE SOCIAL HALL FLOOR
Lillian Winn Fjeldsted
7999 South 830 East
Sandy, Utah 84070
Non-Professional Division, Honorable Mention Personal Recollection
As I left the dentist's office a few years ago, I glanced up at the windows of the old Social Hall. They
made me think of a dying queen, for certainly that hall had been the "Queen" of the dance halls for many
years. But not now. The windows had wooden slats across them, and tattered paper patterns hung there. As I
gazed upon them, I remembered the story, told to me by my brother, of how the floor of that hall was sanded.
The hall had been completed and the floor was now ready to be sanded. The men who furnished the
finances for the construction of it decided to get a group of young boys to do it for them. The boys were
promised a free dance for doing it.
When the day for the sanding came, between fifteen or twenty boys showed up ready to work. They
were each given a block of wood the size of a sheet of sandpaper. Then down on their hands and knees they
went, sanding the floor as they moved down the floor together. When their sandpaper wore out, they were
furnished another one. It was some job!
When the floor was finished, it was swept and corn meal was scattered over it. Then the boys had a
great time making it slick and shiny. They removed their shoes and in their stocking feet, slid up and down the
floor. Some of them did it in their bare feet. They tried to out-slide each other. This is probably the only time
that using this floor as a "sliding rink" was ever legitimate, although most everyone must have had the urge to
take a running slide across it.
The day after the sanding was finished; a free matinee dance was given for all the young people of
Ephraim. What a time they had! Hy (Hyrum) Anderson was there to teach and call the dances. He taught the
waltz, the Two-Step Polka, the Virginia reel, and a Quadrille.
The music for the dance came from the accordion of Mart (Martin) Christensen. He had an accordion
that he pushed and pulled with both hands. It had only one scale with a couple of extra notes, a couple of bass
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