Great Depression in Sharon: Not Going Through the Motions
Brent and Hillary Gavan talk to RJ Lindsey, a Franklin Delano Roosevelt actor.
Any festival where people are willing to shine your shoes, rub a pregnant woman’s back and give out free food deserves severe recognition. Sharon was definitely not a village going through the festival motions on Sunday as it held its 13th Annual Model A Day.
The Friends of the Wisconsin Historical Society descended upon Sharon with in a fury of Roosevelt speeches, shantytown props and roving ragtime musicians. There was a fashion show, pig roast tent, magic show, and even a ribbon cutting thrown in. The only thing missing was Eleanor Roosevelt, but if she has a ghost she would have definitely been there.
I admit, I may have a bias. I grew up in Sharon. But that being said, I’m an adult now and it’s not like I’m hanging out there everyday. It takes quite a bit to pull me away from my usual routine of napping or John and Kate Plus Eight tabloid following.
And I only give out a compliment about once every 100 years. But here goes…
As a reporter, I’ve covered probably 153,459 festivals. OK, that’s an exaggeration, but the point is I can spot a good event even before it starts. When the entertainment line-up reads “kiddie rides” and “korn dogs” I know I’m in for the usual snore of a few food tents, folks in lawn chairs and 13-year-old beauty pageant winners lazing atop a convertible.
Maybe I’m asking for too much, but we all know life is short. I don’t want to go to events solely designed to lure in business, drain my ATM balance and put transfat foods on my rear. I want to go to a festival where I’ll learn something new, meet someone friendly and witness things I’ve never seen before. And that was Sharon on Sunday.
In addition to the annual Model A car viewing and swap meet, musicians, shoe shiners, beggars, bandits and other historical re-enactors spread the word about helping each other through crises.
The event’s massive entertainment line-up was so impressive it actually got my husband up off the couch. Oh, he pretended he was being dragged, but nothing could stop him from sheer curiosity of it all. Even my co-worker Cheryl was up for the journey as well as my grade school friend Laura.
When the four of us all arrived, it was like stepping onto a huge movie theater set. Many of the Sharon residents had donned costumes – which I think are stored in an old opera theater in town – and were acting out roles.
It definitely appeared The Friends of the Wisconsin Historical Society, the real professionals behind historical re-enactment, had no trouble finding residents to join in. What was even more astounding was that this was the first Great Depression event held in Sharon. Despite its newness, shoe shiners bellowed out their services, wandering beggars wailed and young women danced or performed in a fashion show.
I was pleasantly surprised to bump into a girl I went to high school with who I hadn’t seen in 13 years, Jolene. She, who now sits on the village board, was dressed in a flapper type dress and hauling around free food. Whenever I heard about a “village board” I usually associate it with someone mad about a story I wrote and when I interview strangers, I’m usually ready for someone to make a crack at newspapers. But Jolene and her friend just wanted to talk about Sharon. Jolene said she just wanted to make it a great place for her kids, and how she always felt safe there. And I knew she really meant it.
That’s was one of the many reasons the event was so special. The children I talked to weren’t scared of strangers, and they took their roles seriously. People said what they meant, and each nugget of wisdom was something new.
And the people not dressed in Depression garb were eager to learn. While FDR gave his speech to the town’s people, they crowded around, full of questions. And when the speech was over, they all swarmed in a mob to the Methodist Church to hear Professor David Kyvig’s address. Kyvig, a history professor at Northern Illinois University, gave a special presentation titled “Understanding the Great Depression.” After giving a brief history of General Motors (pretty timely given the bankruptcies and all) Kyvig told about how the growing availability of credit of the 1920s, American isolationism, and psychology of the country contributed to the Great Depression.
The FDR impersonator complemented the speech with his own views on the role of government, and read actual letters written by real people during the Great Depression.
After the day was complete, I had lunch at the Coffee Cup Cafe and topped off the event with a free back massage. Upon leaving Sharon on Sunday, my knowledge of history – definitely not as high as a fifth grader – was a little more robust. I had learned something, been fed, rubbed and not verbally abused for being a reporter.
It was a good day for me, and for all the people who proved festivals can still be fun. Instead of doing the usual holiday-theme event, Sharon thought outside the box and tried something new. And it worked.
Much credit deserves to go to the Friends of the Wisconsin Historical Society and Karen Kenney with the Main Street Program in Sharon. Pulling off an action-packed event like that in a tiny village was nothing short of a miracle.
