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THE DVLGS MAKES LOCAL NEWS!
Posted here is the article that appeared in the October 17th edition of the Bucks County Courier Times about this year's Historic Bristol Day celebration; which included a wonderful write-up about The Delaware Valley Ladies and Gentlemen Society.
Thank you to those who helped in any way to make our first effort to promote the group as part of a public celebration sucessful! We are thrilled about our first press write-up!
By: GWEN SHRIFT
Bucks County Courier Times
Proper down to her gloved fingertips, Justine Jackson set up shop on Radcliffe Street in Bristol Saturday, hoping to recruit other fans of the 19th century for some sedate adventures in living history.
Jackson, founder of a new group, the Delaware Valley Ladies & Gentlemen Society, and a friend, Siobhra Dewar, chose the right day and place to dress in 1880s garb. Hundreds of festivalgoers crowded Radcliffe Street for Historic Bristol Day, an annual event organized by the Bristol Cultural & Historical Foundation.
"I've always liked the Victorian era," said Jackson, who lives in the borough. "You get older, and you look around at where you live, the historic buildings. There's so much interest around us." The new society is aimed at people, like herself, who are interested in Victorian history, costumes, dancing and social gatherings.
As a 17th-century English settlement, Bristol antedates the Victorian era by about 200 years, but its street festival is firmly planted in present-day concerns. In addition to other vendors, nonprofit organizations lined Radcliffe Street to raise money for social service groups, animal welfare societies, veterans' causes, and the historical foundation.
The event also showed off historic houses, one of which was serving high tea; plus live oldies music, a brass band, a small Civil War encampment, a juggling stiltwalker and a majestic pair of Belgian draft horses pulling the wagon for a hayride.
For sheer entertainment value, the table to beat was run by the Bristol High School cheerleaders, who sold cupcakes and offered demonstrations of the kind of stunts they perform in the cause of team spirit.
Passersby watched Mackenzie Faight and Gabby Frake make a foothold out of their hands for Aliana Carrasquillo, who then stood high above the crowd before dropping back into her teammates' arms. This was a slightly toned-down version of the cheer performed at football games, in which the girl in the middle gets hoisted to what sounds like a dizzying altitude before dropping.
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The 24-member squad was raising money for uniforms and warmup gear, plus supplies for a project to supply each member of the football team with a handmade commemorative pillowcase.
The cheerleaders' cupcakes vied with other snacks such as pizzelles, popcorn, hot dogs with sauerkraut and old-fashioned penny candy. That was for people. An even more ambitious setup offered fancy baked goods for dogs, such as turnovers, tacos, wraps, ribs and a tray of peanut butter cannoli.
Pets patrolled the street with their owners, including a pack of dolled-up greyhounds from the Philadelphia Greyhound Connection. "Everybody likes this. (For many people) It's the first time they've ever seen a greyhound," said Tony Salvitty of Bristol, whose tan greyhound, Skye Diamond, was wearing an orange chiffon Halloween collar over a Phillies collar.
Elsewhere, Jake, a tiny Shih Tzu-Chihuahua puppy, kept warm inside his owner's jacket. Like many in the crowd, Andrew and Jayne Young had walked to the festival from their home a few streets away. The Youngs said they are big fans of Historic Bristol Day, and especially of Bristol.
Once they planned to move to a brand-new house in the Poconos, but changed their minds at the last minute. "Bristol's a fun town to live in," said Jayne.
Gwen Shrift can be reached at gshrift@phillyBurbs.com
October 17, 2010 02:21 AM
To read the article in PDF format click here.
