70 Years Ago This Week, Dwight Celebrated Its Centennial In Grand Style
*Below you will find articles, clips and photographs from newspapers throughout the year of 1954, in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of Dwight. Plans started early in the year, culminating in a week long celebration August 15 – 22, which included banquets, pageants, dances, and other entertainment. The entire town was engaged to help celebrate the event. Thanks to Lester and Marge Hansen, this was all documented and recorded.
DWIGHT’S BIRTHDAY PARTY DRAWING NEAR
The Dwight Centennial celebration is just nine days away now and everything looks to be in pretty good shape, according to the DwightCentennial Committee.
Pageant practices have been held day and night the past couple of weeks, and the entire cast will be on hand at the Oughton Athletic Field each evening starting Monday for a full rehearsal.
The beautiful scenery constructed for the pageant is being erected to give a wonderful background for a wonderful pageant. The committee now is faced with getting a sufficient number of seats put up at the field to handle the expected overflow throng.
The Centennial celebration will open officially Sunday, August 15,
and this is tabbed religion day. A special program has been arranged for Sunday evening to be held at OAF.
On Monday, August 16, a kiddie parade under the direction of the Sunday Schools of Dwight churches will be staged at 7:30. More information of this event will be available next week.
Tuesday evening, August 17, will be the time for our Centennial Ball and the crowning of Queen Julaine Short. The Dwight Lions Club are handling this affair and they are veterans at staging outstanding dances.
They have hired Chuck Foster and his orchestra to be on the bandstand from 9 until 1 at the DTHS gym. Word from the dance committee has it that this will be the finest dance ever staged in Dwight. A very impressive and colorful coronation ceremony has been arranged at which time the Queen and her court of Sunnv Christiansen, Thelma Schaefer, Jane AnnScott and Joyce Spangler will be presented.
The committee will go to every means possible to keep the gym as cool as possible and innumberable fans and blowers will be set up throughout the gym, lobby and cafeteria.
The Historical pageant will be presented at 8:30 p. m. on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday nights at OAF. A gigantic display of fireworks will be set off following the
pageant on Wednesday and Thursday night.
Free acts will be staged in the downtown district every afternoon and evening on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Times to be announced next week.
Friday night following the free acts, a gala square dance on main street is expected to draw dancers from far and wide.
Alumni of Dwight Township High School will move into the spotlight early Saturday evening for their reunion at the gymnasium. Letters are being sent out to each grad, urging them to be present for this event. Following the reunion, the alumni will go to OAF and watch the final performance of the pageant.
