A COLLECTION of RECOLLECTIONS Cont. by: LaNelle Cartwright Buckingham 1976 - 1977 THE TOBY TENT SHOW The Toby Tent Show often came to Leon. Their plays produced much wholesome laughter among both young and older members of their audience. Boxes of sugared pop corn were sold, each containing a number which was good for a chance on a prize. Once my younger brother Harold's number was drawn, and he strutted proudly to the front to claim his prize of a small teapot, 4 cups and 4 saucers. WOODLAND CHILDREN"S DAY Another event, we atended each year was Woodland Children's Day. All the Woodland area children had a part in the program. It was heald east of the church, on a platform constructed with planks. There were also plank seats for the audience. After the program, we went to the home of our Uncle Ed and Aunt Julia. For dinner we always had fried chicken, cherry pie and ice cream. The ice cream was made with ice, taken from their pond in winter, and packed in saw dust in their ice house. A gallon pail with a bail, was placed inside a larger bucket and packed with ice and salt. The smaller bucket was twisted back and forth by the bail. Occasionally, the bucket was opened and the ice cream was scraped from the sides with a knife. It took forever for the ice cream to be frozen but it was well worth waiting for. After eating, our cousins Clara and Coie took the older girls for a run and I do mean RUN. We ran until we were worn out, and then ambled slowly back. We were not accustomed to this form of entertainment. GARDEN GROVE CORN PICNIC Often, we attended the Garden Grove Corn Picnic. I especially remember the Basket Ball Court on the grounds and that somewhere along the road there was a cement watering trough, where we could stop to water our horses. There were exhibits of corn and other vegetables. It is possible that it was at the Garden Grove Corn Picnic, that my Mother insisted that I shake hands with William Jennings Bryan, even though I did not know of his importance at that time. We knew few folks of the Garden Grove Community, so the Garden Grove Corn Picnic is not as memorable as the Davis City Reunion. THE STEPHENS CARNIVAL Otto and Elnora Stephens were certain to be in Leon at least once during the summer. Each year, they added new attractions to their Carnival. Otto and Elnora were natives of Decatur County, so everyone attended. They gave much joy to young and old. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Copied by : Jackie Moore Goeken, a Cartwright descendant. July 24, 2005