Prince Albert Historical Society
A meeting of the Lions Club held on Friday, October 4th, 1957, discussed an idea which was to result in providing great memories for thousands of Prince Albert teenagers over the years.
As reported in the Prince Albert Daily Herald on October 5th that year, an October 31st teen dance for members of the Central Teen Council, tentatively preceded by a snake dance, was being considered. Mr. H.R. Boucher, a member of the Lions’ Club entertainment committee, reported that representatives of the Teen Council called for the support of other service clubs to provide supervision of the Hallowe’en programme.
Later in the month, on October 22nd, the idea was more fully explained by William Katz, the chairman of the Lions’ Club entertainment committee. He advised that the student councils of Prince Albert Collegiate Institute, Riverside Collegiate Institute, and St. Mary’s College had agreed to attend the Lions’ Club sponsored Hallowe’en snake dance. The idea, jointly proposed by the Central Teen Council and the Lions, would include a snake dance organized on a competitive basis. The City’s recreation services had been asked to form two teams, one made up of PACI students, and the other of Riverside and St. Mary’s schools combined.
Six local service clubs, Quota Club, the Stagettes, Kinsmen, Kiwanis, Rotary and Cosmopolitan, had offered join with the Lions to police and judge the evening’s programme. The events at the dance at the Arcade Hall, as well as the snake dance itself, would be judged and points would be awarded to determine an overall winner for the evening.
According to the Lions/Teen Council plans, the teams would start their respective snakes at 7:15, one team starting at the fire hall and the other at the foot of the viaduct. The snakes would meet in front of the City Hall (now the Margo Fournier Arts Centre), at which point the judges will inspect each team, and will award points for the best organised, the most colourful, and the best controlled snake.
City Recreation Director Glen Tuck had ordered coloured paper hats which will enable the awarding of points based on the best turn-out by per centage of school enrollment. At the time, PACI had 480 students enrolled, while Riverside and St. Mary’s had a combined enrollment of 435 students.
A representative of the Central Teen Council visited each of the collegiates to speak to their respective student councils. Riverside, for example, was visited by John Jordon, who outlined the events planned for the evening of October 31st. He indicated that they would be required to decorate half of the Arcade Hall, and that they would receive green hats the morning of the dance, to be worn to identify them as students of that school. On Hallowe’en evening, they would gather at the school, snake down River Street to Central Avenue, and then up Central to City Hall, where they would participate in the tug-of-war and give their school yell.
Two days after the October 22nd announcement, the Daily Herald carried a story headlined Police Chief Favors Plans For Hallowe’en Snake Dance. Chief Poole said he was in favour of the plans outlined by the Councils of PACI, Riverside, and St. Mary’s in cooperation with the Lions’ Club. The proposed programme, in his estimation, was a “good idea” and would have his full support. Chief Poole did not elaborate, but Prince Albert still had a number of backyard “privies” and tipping privies, or even moving them back a few yards, had become something of a tradition for local teenagers on Hallowe’en.
William Katz was once again quoted, advising that there would be six categories judged by the participating service clubs, including best snake, school yell, a tug-of-war made up of fifty students on each team (using both male and female members), team turn-out (by per centage), a fifteen-minute floor show at the Arcade Hall, and hall decorations provided by each team. A shield would be awarded to the winning team.
During this time of preparation for the Hallowe’en competition, one of the sponsoring organisations, the Central Teen Council, held its annual election. Glen Barrie was elected president, defeating three competitors, Marion Wintermute, Helen Reiderer, and Len Burkitt. The victorious first vice-president was Wayne Grasley, defeating John Plaxton by 21 votes. Plaxton assumed the position of second vice-president. Pegi Pond was elected as secretary, polling more votes than the other two candidates for the position, Jean Parnell and Deanne Kernaghan. For the treasurer’s position, Fay Norris received more votes than her opponent, Karen Hynes. As a result of the election, Jimmy Hill became the organisation’s past president.
On October 30th, the Daily Herald carried a story indicating that the plans for Hallowe’en evening had been completed by representatives of the school councils, the teen council, and the Lions’ Club. Most of the previously determined plans remained unchanged, although there were a few minor changes. PACI would convene at the school at 7:10, and arrive at the foot of the viaduct by 7:15 to begin their snake. Riverside and St. Mary’s would convene at Riverside and start their snake at the agreed upon time of 7:15. Each team would snake down Central Avenue to the opposite end (i.e. the fire hall for PACI and the foot of the viaduct for Riverside), then turn and snake back to City Hall.
The dance at the Arcade Hall would include some of the competitive events between each team, but there would also be competitions for the best costume and for the jive contest.
Police Chief Poole once again provided a statement, indicating that the Collegiates, with the assistance of several service clubs, had organized the event. He asked for cooperation from “the motoring public” to keep Central Avenue clear of traffic between 7:00 and 9:00 p.m., and suggested that no unauthorized persons “crash or join in the snake dance”. Action, he said, would be taken against any persons interfering with the parade.
Although the previous day’s Daily Herald had indicated that the plans for the snake dance had been finalized, the newspaper on Hallowe’en indicated that some of those plans had to be adjusted on the day of the event. Representatives of the participating schools’ student councils attended a meeting at City Hall on the big day, along with members of the Lions’ Club, the Stagettes, the Kinsmen, Kiwanis, Cosmopolitan, and Quota clubs. City Recreation Director and Police Chief Poole were also in attendance. William Katz requested that the judging of competitions be changed from a points system basis to straight judging of individual events. This was approved. The unsuitability of the paper hats also needed to be changed and, at the suggestion of one of the student councillors, it was decided to issue instead coloured arm bands to be worn by the students.
It was agreed that members of the women’s service clubs, the Quota Club and the Stagettes, would be stationed at the midway point, while judges from the men’s clubs would be at the starting points, with Kinsmen and Rotarians at the viaduct, and the Kiwanis and Cosmopolitan clubs at the fire hall.
It was requested of the Recreation Coordinator if the balcony on the City Hall could be used as a vantage point for the judges, but he pointed out that they would need to be acrobats in order to get onto it.
It was again indicated that the two teams would participate in the tug-of-war in front of the City Hall, with each team consisting of twenty-five boys and twenty-five girls. Once PACI completed their school yell, they would stand on the west side of Central Avenue, while the Riverside/St. Mary’s team would occupy the east side. After the two competitions were completed, the two teams would snake together to the Arcade Hall.
The decorations at the Arcade Hall, and the floor show scheduled for 10:30 would be judged by members of the six service clubs. It was hoped that these individuals would remain at the hall for the entire programme. Mr. Katz advised that the teenagers had told him that they approved of being chaperoned. In fact, he said “the more the merrier”.
The meeting ended with the City Recreation Director indicating that the eighty girls at the Academy of the Presentation of Mary had been overlooked during the organization of this event, and it was decided that those interested in participating be allowed to join whichever team they wished.
The night went well, with just one hitch. When the teams of fifty started tugging on the rope for the tug-or-war, the rope broke. As a result, when William Katz stood to announce the night’s winners, that event was declared a draw. Riverside/St. Mary’s won the best organized and most colourful snake. Apparently some of the PACI participants became a little rowdy when they turned at the fire hall to return to City Hall. They disconnected themselves from the snake and attached themselves to a car which they nearly turned over.
The winner of the school yell was the PACI team. They had gone to the trouble of getting a truck and a public address system which they used to great benefit.
The best turn-out by per centage also went to PACI, as did the Arcade decorations, primarily through their use of apples and pumpkins to trim the stage.
Riverside/St. Mary’s won the floor show, which was emceed by John Jordon. Performers included Shirley Cockwill, Janet Beggs, the Lashlikawitch brothers, and Brian Kernaghan.
The PACI floor show was emceed by Ronald Allen, with performances by the Romanchych sisters, Wayne Grasley, Verelyn Pouliot, Irene Hayes, Rodney Soonias, Rod MacKenzie, and Diane Naish. PACI lost points because their fifteen minute floor show last twenty-five minutes.
It was noted that the pace set by the leaders of the snake went too quickly (having participated in later years, the speed was probably the best part of the snake!), and too little Hallowe’en spirit was noted (too few costumes). There could be, the sponsors noted, no criticism of the students behaviour.
The service club judges were Mrs. Daniel Speaker from the Quota Club, Deidre de Fossett from the Stagettes, W.A. McLean from the Kinsmen Club, Russell Isaac from the Kiwanis Club, Edward “Bud” Dallin from the Cosmopolitan Club, and Jack Howard from the Rotary Club.
William Katz of the Lions’ Club, Glen Tuck from the City, and Police Chief Poole all remarked on the success of the collegiate snake dance. The schools were also delighted with the evening. One student from Riverside was quoted as saying, “Everyone had an evening of good clean fun.” The Central Teen Council expressed their thanks to the city, the city’s teenagers, and the city service clubs, especially noting the Lions’ Club. They also looked forward to a bigger and better snake dance in the years to follow.
An editorial in the Daily Herald posed the question, “What are teenagers coming to?” They answered it themselves, stating, “On the basis of their Hallowe’en activities, we’d say a bright future as good citizens.”
The first organized collegiate snake was certainly a great success, and set the framework for subsequent years.
fgpayton@sasktel.net
