Time to telegraph Roxbury 1898 and let them know you're coming
Turn of the Century Days offer "heirloom" opportunities on Labor Day Weekend, so RSVP today
Roxbury's ninth annual Turn of the Century Days during Labor Day weekend (Aug. 30-31) will offer all the agreeable pursuits of 19th century mountain life, from vintage base ball games, homemade fruit pies and historic house tours to children chasing after hoops and juggling with Vaudevillian acrobats. Although most activities will be ongoing (with no admission charge), a few new and special offerings require your RSVP, including silhouette portraits and getting outfitted for a commemorative community-wide portrait.
Captured at scissor point ...
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| SITTING PRETTY — Silhouette portraits done freehand will be offered by Deborah O'Connor as a fundraiser for Roxbury's Kirkside Park during Turn of the Century Days, August 30-31 (Labor Day weekend). Call the Roxbury Parks Department at 607-326-3722 to reserve your sitting time (pets welcome too!). Artwork courtesy of Deborah O'Connor. |
Did you know that long before every mall had an "Olan Mills" studio that silhouettes were the most common, and most prized, form of portraiture? Today, there are only a few dozen silhouette artists nationwide but Kirkside Park is lucky to have Deborah O'Connor, fine artist and silhouettist, for both Saturday and Sunday of Turn of the Century Days, cutting heirloom silhouettes freehand, as a fundraiser for Roxbury's historic park.
O'Connor's silhouette artistry was a huge hit for the past two years and her booth was lined up with tots and terriers waiting to have their portraits cut. This year, the Parks Department will be scheduling appointments for O'Connor's work, from late morning into the afternoon each day so customers can be assured of their slot. Call today (607-326-3722) to reserve your portrait time: each portrait takes less than 10 minutes, and will become a treasured family heirloom for years to come.
Join the community panorama
Several "tale of two centuries" moments will be captured that weekend and you'll want to be dressed for the occasion. In Kirkside Park on Saturday afternoon, August 30, dozens (hundreds!) of Turn of the Century Days participants, including vintage base ball players, elegant Edwardian damsels, and children in pinafores and dungarees, will gather in the vast green lawnscape of Kirkside for a commemorative community-wide portrait by local photographer Jill Ribich. Prints of the portrait can be ordered on Saturday and will be offered for sale on Sunday, but how much better if you and your family are in it! All that's required is proper attire, circa 1898. And just keep your bloomers on, because individual and family portraits by Ribich will be offered the next day, Sunday in the park, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can reserve a family portrait time but you can also "come as you are" and get costumed for your portrait on site.
To assist with authentic costuming this year, the veteran fashion team are thrilled to have professional costumer, Juliet Polcsa (costume designer for HBO's "The Sopranos") to help outfit all comers. "Juliet's logistical skills and her ability to access more varied inventory is so exciting, because it means we'll be able to include more visitors and volunteers than ever in the full 19th century experience," said Assistant Parks Director and Fashion Show coordinator Karina Walker.
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| GET THE BIG PICTURE — Dress the part and you can be part of a panoramic community portrait on Saturday, August 30, in Roxbury's Kirkside Park, when hundreds of vintage ball players, suffragists, townsfolk and fashion divas of the Gilded Age will gather to say "cheese." It's an heirloom moment and prints will be offered for sale. Get in the picture by contacting the Roxbury Parks Department at 607-326-3722 and find out how to get your bustle on! Photo courtesy of the Town of Roxbury. |
Project Runway comes to Kirkside Park
Also back by popular demand this year is the Fashion Show contest, where seamstresses and tailors vie for "best in show" during the annual "Parade of Four Decades" of fashion show. "People must really be into these competitive reality shows like Top Chef and Project Runway, because several talented seamstresses have already asked me to stage a Fashion Contest comeback. We'll be posting guidelines and sign-up forms on roxburyny.com web site," said Fashion Show coordinator Karina Walker, adding, "The show will be Sunday, August 31, and hand-made entries needn't be high fashion, they can also be recreational or working clothes. If we have enough entries, we may be able to choose a winner from each decade from 1860 through 1890." Outfits can be sewn on your machine (which was invented by 1898), but gaudy 20th century accoutrements like zippers and velcro will disqualify you pronto.
Don't miss any of the fun or the opportunity to take this memorable weekend home with you to treasure, whether it's a silhouette of your child or pet, a place in an historic community photo, or your own family's 1898 portrait. Call 607-326-3722 for reservations, and be sure to ask about historic house tours and Railride tickets too!. Keep checking this web site for more details and updates throughout the summer.