Alan Mays' photos with the keyword: anniversaries

A Halloween dance ticket printed by Landis Art Press, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, who used the same decorative half moons on other tickets. See, for instance, Sophomore Barn Party Ticket, East Petersburg, October 27, 1920 and Hell'o'een Masked Dance Ticket, Lancaster, Pa., October 29, 1920 . Masquerade Ball Will be given by the Anniversary Committee of Queen of Sheba Temple No. 137 on Thursday, October 31, 1940 in new Elk's Auditorium, 452 South Duke Street, Lancaster, Pa. Music by Duke Norman. Prizes awarded. Best dressed. Most comic. Admission 55 cents.

A poster stamp advertising the celebrations in 1927 that commemorated the 150th anniversary of the sessions of the Second Continental Congress that were held in York, Pennsylvania, after British troops occupied Philadelphia. "150th Anniversary, York, Penna., of the session of Continental Congress at York, Pennsylvania, from Sept. 30, 1777, to June 28, 1778. Big celebration, Oct. 13, 14, 15, 1927."

"Pennsylvania Railroad. Centennial Excursion. Under the auspices of Putnam Circle, No. 113, B.U. (H.F.) of Pa. Columbia to Philadelphia and return. On Saturday, October 14, 1876 . Tickets, $2.00. 1." As Wikipedia explains, the Centennial Exposition "was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 10 to November 10, 1876, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia." It was "the first official World's Fair in the United States." The organization sponsoring the rail excursion--"Putnam Circle, No. 113, B.U. (H.F.) of Pa."--was a local chapter of the Brotherhood of the Union (Holy Flame) of the Continent of America . Founded in 1850 by author and labor organizer George Lippard , the Brotherhood was "a secret benevolent society aiming to eliminate poverty and crime by removing the social ills causing them." Putnam Circle, No. 113, was organized in Columbia on February 10, 1875, and had sixty members by 1883, according to the History of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania , by Franklin Ellis and Samuel Evans (Philadelphia: Everts and Peck, 1883), p. 581. Columbia is located in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, about ninety miles west of Philadelphia.

"Chas. E. Marsh, International Exhibition, Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, Pa., 1876. Copyright 1876 by L. Prang & Co. Main Building, Horticultural Hall, Agricultural Hall, Art Gallery, Machinery Hall." Printed on the back: "Centennial Card. Retail price, 30 cts. per dozen." ("30" is crossed out, and "20" is written below it.) Since Charles E. Marsh's name also appears on a card in the holdings of the American Antiquarian Society that identifies him as a printer ("Chas. E. Marsh, card & job printer, business and address cards a specialty, Greenville, N.H."), it's likely that this was a sample card used to solicit customers for Marsh's printing business. He would have purchased blank copies of this card from lithographer Louis Prang 's firm and then printed individual names on them, as he did here with "Chas. E. Marsh." Although commonly called the Centennial Exposition today, the exhibition's full name when it was held in 1876 was the International Exhibition of Arts, Manufactures, and Products of the Soil and Mine. "Nearly 10 million visitors attended the exhibition and thirty-seven countries participated in it," Wikipedia reports. The five major buildings at the exhibition—the Main Building, Horticultural Hall, Agricultural Hall, the Art Gallery (also known as Memorial Hall ), and Machinery Hall—are depicted on this card. Although Charles Marsh may have attended the exhibition, it's possible that he advertised these cards elsewhere and filled orders through the mail.

Slide dated October 1959, location unknown. Hilarity ensued as these two men carried the woman through a doorway into a house. Judging by the corsage that the woman was wearing and the flower in the one man's lapel, I suspect that they may have been celebrating a wedding anniversary. Note, too, that a television set is partially visible behind the doll on the left.

"The Human Flag, Loyal War Governors Parade, Altoona, Pa., Sept. 1912." A postcard of the "Human Flag"—women holding umbrellas to form the stars and stripes of the United States flag—during the parade in Altoona , Pennsylvania, to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Loyal War Governors' Conference .

Perry County Sesquicentennial Parade, photo taken at the intersection of West Main and Apple Streets, New Bloomfield, Pa., 1970. Sign hanging below the canopy on the steam engine: "Bolze's Steam Engine Club, Landisburg." According to Michael R. Zeigler's article, "The Bolze Family Steam Engine History," which was originally published in Farm Collector , March-April 1999, "This steam engine is an Emerson-Brantingham Peerless TT model, serial #17544, 50 HP, the 200th built in 1916. It was bought in 1918 by the Bolze Brothers for their threshing and sawmill operation setup at R.D. Landisburg, Perry County, Pennsylvania . . . . During the Perry County Sesquicentennial Celebration in 1970, [Frank Bolze, son and nephew of the original three Bolze brothers] formed the Bolze Steam Engine Club and toured the county with it and an old threshing machine. This was quite a sight at all the parades." For a more recent color photo of this steam engine, see 1937 D-35 I/H & EB 17544 @ Shermans Valley Heritage Days 2003 on SmokStak.com. For other photos from this parade, see:

Perry County Sesquicentennial Parade, photo taken at the intersection of West Main and Apple Streets, New Bloomfield, Pa., 1970. For other photos from this parade, see:

Signs on float: "Brothers of the Brush, Elliottsburg Jail." "Comb Nation Jail." Perry County Sesquicentennial Parade, photo taken at the intersection of West Main and Apple Streets, New Bloomfield, Pa., 1970. For other photos from this parade, see:

Sign on float: "New Bloomfield Post Office. Perry Co. Sesquicentennial 1970, The County Seat, New Bloomfield, Pa. 17068." The United States Postal Service's "Mr. ZIP" character--the cutout of a wide-eyed, smiling postman that's standing in the middle of the float next to two mailbags and a mailbox--promoted the use of ZIP codes , which were first used in 1963. Perry County Sesquicentennial Parade, photo taken at the intersection of West Main and Apple Streets, New Bloomfield, Pa., 1970. For other photos from this parade, see:

Although "TMI" simply means " too much information " to most of us, residents of central Pennsylvania also use it to refer to the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station , a nuclear power plant situated on an island in the Susquehanna River that's three miles downriver from the borough of Middletown and twelve miles from the city of Harrisburg, the state capital. Thirty-five years ago--on March 28, 1979--one of TMI's two nuclear reactors experienced a partial nuclear meltdown , which the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission still calls the "most serious accident in U.S. commercial nuclear power plant operating history." The partial meltdown resulted in a release of radioactive materials, and pregnant women and young children living within a 20-mile radius of the plant were advised to evacuate the area. It took several days until plant operators were certain that the situation was under control. Gary and the Outriders, a local music group, recorded an original song, "Goodbye T.M.I. (The Ballad of Three Mile Island)," and released it as a 45 rpm record. Its catchy melody contrasts with its dire refrain: "Goodbye, goodbye to your life, T.M.I." To hear the song, check it out on YouTube: Gary & The Outriders - Goodbye T.M.I. (1979) . For another musical reaction to the TMI accident, see the cover of the record album, Potter County Was Made by the Hand of God But the Devil Made Three Mile Island , on Flickr.

Sign on car: "Perry Co. Freckle King, Pigtail Queen." Perry County Sesquicentennial Parade, photo taken at the intersection of West Main and Apple Streets, New Bloomfield, Pa., 1970. For other photos from this parade, see:

License plate on front of car: "Middletown Bi-centennial, 1755-1955, July 11th-16th, 1955, Keystone State."

Eclipse 40th Anniversary. Trophy Line, styled by Eclipse. Eclipse, Zephyr, Pro, Vogue, Advance. Every model a leader in its price class. Beauty at any angle. Magnificently styled with chrome combination and rubber silencing--featuring Goodyear rubber tires and new silent tapered roller bearings. Eclipse Lawn Mower Co., Prophetstown, Illinois. Written franchises are profitable.