School, Church, and Home Games, George Orrin Draper [best classic literature .TXT] 📗

eight other "hits" on town topics and characters. So many guffaws and squeals of laughter came from behind the curtain that they had to call in a "traffic cop" to keep the crowd outside quiet.

The "traffic cops," by the way, were boy scouts. They had dark blue costumes of cheap drill, trimmed with white braid, and wore white cotton gloves and shiny badges. They really did have power invested in them by the committee to preserve order and keep the crowds moving. At one point they were allowed to stand with a semaphore and hold up the crowd, not allowing anyone to pass who could not show a certain number of tags from the various booths. This tag system was to insure that all would play fair, for there was so much fun just watching other folks spend money that the tightwads might never have taken their hands out of their pockets or opened their purses.

A Racket Around the Candy Booth

Mrs. Peterson, who sells the best bread in town, had charge of the cake archery. You bought arrows for this, three for ten cents, but you could not shoot until a dollar's worth of arrows had been sold. Then you took your turn at the bow and arrow. The arrow which hit nearest the bull's-eye got the cake, of course, and it was some cake, if it happened to be one of Abbie Southerland's angel foods.

The Girls' Club had drawn the candy table for their share of the fair, and a pretty booth they made of it, using all the tennis nets they could beg, borrow or steal to drape it with and putting up all the candy in ten-cent packages wrapped in white waxed paper to look like tennis balls. Someone got funny and asked why there was such a racket around the candy booth!

The fair lasted three days. What with changing the attractions, keeping fresh food on the refreshment tables, making special attractions for children in the afternoons after school by offering prizes for sports events like sack races, obstacle races, and so on, getting up interest in golf tournaments and baseball series, the place was kept packed from three in the afternoon until midnight.

In The Ladies' Home Journal, Jan., 1921. Published with the permission of the author, Claire Wallis, and The Ladies' Home Journal.

CHAPTER VToC RACING GAMES FOR PICNICS

In these games participants are divided into a number of equal teams. Each team is lined up in single file behind a base line. A distance line parallel to the base line and about ten yards from it is indicated on the field.

Egg and Spoon Race

A basket of eggs, apples, potatoes or stones is placed in front of each team and a spoon given to the first member of each team. Empty baskets are placed on the distance line opposite the position of each team. At the signal to go the first player on each team, keeping the left hand behind the back, takes one egg from the basket by means of the spoon and carries it on the spoon to the basket from the distance line. Returning to the base line the spoon is handed to the second member of the team who repeats the performance of the first. The game continues until the last player on each team, after carrying the egg forward, returns across the base line. The team first succeeding wins.

Should a player drop an egg, he must gather up as much of the egg as possible and carry it to the far basket and there deposit it before returning with the spoon to the next member of his team.

Pea Shelling Race

A basket containing peas and an empty dish are placed on the distance line opposite each team. There should be at least six peas contained in each basket for every player on the team. At the signal to go the first player on each team runs forward, shells his peas into the dish and lays the six empty pods in a straight line behind the dish. Accomplishing this, he returns and tags off the next player on the team who repeats the performance of the first. The team first succeeding in shelling all of the peas and having each player's pods lined up in a straight line, wins.

Needle Threading Race

An individual holding a needle and a short piece of thread is on the distance line opposite each team. At the signal to go, the first player on each team runs forward, takes the needle and thread, threads the needle, hands it back to the individual and returns and tags off the next player on the team. The individual holding the needle unthreads it, ready for the next player to repeat the performance of the first. When the last player crosses the starting line after threading the needle the race ends.

Button Sewing

As many buttons as there are players on each team are placed on the distance line opposite each team, a strip of cloth, a needle, and as many short lengths of thread as there are players. At the signal to go, the first member of each team runs forward, threads the needle with one of the pieces of thread, sews a button on the strip of cloth, using up all of the thread in his piece. He leaves the needle stuck in the cloth at the distance line and returns and tags off the next player, who repeats the performance of the first, as do all other team members.

Rope Skipping Relay

A piece of rope is necessary for each team. At the signal to go, the first member of each team skips rope forward to the distance line. From the distance line he runs back and hands the rope to the next one on the team, who repeats the performance of the first. Each player must skip the rope at least six times in each direction. The last member of the team, after skipping the rope forward to the distance line, returns across the base line, ending the event.

Rope Skipping Contest

A piece of rope is needed for each team. At the signal to go, the first individual skips rope ten times, in place, hands the rope back to the next individual who skips ten times, and so the rope is passed on until it gets to the last one in the line, who skips twenty times and passes the rope back to the one next in front of him in the line. The rope is passed until it gets to the first member of the team, each one skipping ten times upon receiving it. When the one in the front of the line has skipped ten times, he ends the race by running forward across the distance line.

Dizzy Izzy

A cane or stick is given to the first player on each team. Upon the signal to go he places the end of the stick upon the ground, holding the stick in a vertical position, and places the centre of his forehead on the upper end of the stick. In this position, he circles around the stick three times and then runs forward to the distance line and returns, handing the stick to the next player on his team behind the base line. The second player places his forehead upon the stick and repeats the performance of the first, as does every other player on the team. The last man ends the race by crossing the base line.

Caterpillar Race

The players on each team sit upon the ground in single file, with the head of each team behind the base line. The knees are bent so that the feet are near the hips. Each player reaches back with his two hands and grasps the ankles of the player next behind him. At the signal to go, the entire column moves forward, endeavoring to keep from breaking the column by any one losing his grip on the ankles of the next member of the team, behind. The caterpillar creeps forward across the distance line and returns. When the rear end of the column crosses the base line, the race is completed, provided the column is unbroken.

Potato Race

Two peach baskets and two potatoes, stones or blocks of wood for each contestant are needed for each team. One basket is placed before each team on the base line and one directly opposite on the distance line. The potatoes are placed in the basket on the base line. The first player takes a position on the right hand side of the basket behind the base line, with a potato in his hand. At the signal to start, he runs around the basket on the distance line, dropping his potato therein. He returns, running around the basket on the base line, picks up the second potato, which he carries and drops into the far basket, as he circles it. He then returns and tags off the next player on the team, who, after being tagged, picks up the first potato and carries it to the far basket, returning for his second. Each player in turn carries two potatoes, one at a time. Both baskets must be circled in carrying the potatoes forward. The player is not allowed to touch the basket in running around it. If his potato fails to go into the basket, he must pick it up and put it in before he goes for his second potato or touches off the next runner. The last player on each team ends the race by crossing the base line after having properly deposited his two potatoes in the far basket.

Apple Race*

A strawberry basket full of small apples is handed to the first member of each team. At the signal to go the basket full of apples is passed back over the heads of the players until it reaches the last player in the column. The last player, upon receiving the basket full of apples, runs forward on the right hand side of his line to the distance line, where an empty basket has been placed. He pours the apples from his full basket into the empty basket, leaving the basket which is now empty on the distance line. He returns with the full basket to the front of the column and starts passing the basket full of apples back over his head. When it reaches the individual who is then at the rear of the column, he runs forward, repeating the performance of the first. The race ends when the last man on the team to run returns across the base line after having changed the apples on the distance line.

Apple Race No. 2*

A basket full of apples and an empty basket are placed upon the distance line opposite each team. At the signal to go the first man on the team runs forward, empties the apples from the full basket into the empty basket. Should he spill any, he must pick them up. All of the apples must be in the basket before he leaves them. He leaves the empty and full baskets on the distance line and returns, tags off the next member on his team and takes his place at the rear of the line. When all members of the team have done this and the last member crosses the base line, the race ends.

Apple Race No. 3*

Peach baskets containing an equal number of apples (fifteen makes a good number) are placed at the front of each team. An empty basket is placed at the rear of the column. At the signal to go the first man on the team picks the apples out of the full basket, one at a time and passes them to the rear as rapidly as possible. Every man in the line must receive and pass back every