Editor’s note: This is another column in Bill Boyd’s new series, “The Way It Was,” about growing up in Marysville. Bill continues to work with the Union County Historical Society to obtain information for his stories. With Marysville and Union County celebrating Bicentennial anniversaries in 2019 and 2020, respectively, these articles help depict what life was like in those early years.
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Masquerade parties
Some of the things I remember most fondly from the 1960s are the masquerade parties hosted by Jim and Lya Snider, at their home on Hickory Drive. There were some wonderful costumes, and many of their guests made their own.
My favorite costume was one made by Bob West, a Scotts researcher and longtime Marysville resident. Actually, it was more of a prop, than a costume. Let me explain.
Bob arrived early for the party. He was not wearing a costume, but was carrying a card table. He set up the table in an area at the bottom of the stairs to the lower level of the house. He had previously cut a hole, a few inches in diameter, in the center. He covered the table with a tablecloth that was large enough to reach the floor on all four sides.
The tablecloth also had a hole cut in the center, directly over the table’s hole. He then placed a cigar box, with a hole in its bottom, on top of all that.
Next, he placed a sign close to the box on the table. I don’t remember exactly what the sign said, but it was something like, “Please help yourself to a piece of Lya’s homemade candy.” Bob then slid under the table, stuck his right hand through the holes, into that cigar box. And he sat there in the darkness and waited.
My wife, Janet, and I were among the first guests to arrive. We were dressed as Indians, in costumes she had made from burlap bags and cloth scraps. When we walked past the table and she saw the sign, she said, “Oh, let’s try some of Lya’s candy.” Then she lifted the lid of the cigar box, to take a piece.
When she lifted that lid, the hand opened, as if to grab her. She jumped back and let out a scream. I mean, she was scared to death. And she was just the first of several guests who fell victim of Bob’s “hand in the box” that night. I don’t know if they gave a prize for “best costume,” but if they did, I think it should have gone to Bob West.
On a more serious note, I believe it was that same night when I first met Lya’s sister. I think her name was Gina. I had met her mother, Mary Cioffi, when she was visiting Marysville the previous year. I had also met her brother, Fred, about the same time. We had a really nice time with both of them, so I was looking forward to meeting Gina.
At some point, Lya led Gina through the house to introduce her to their guests. As they entered the living room, three Marysville businessmen, Jim Carney, Tom Rothwell and Tobe Conrad, stood up politely from the sofa, to give Gina a warm Marysville greeting. That was not surprising, for Gina was a raven-haired Italian lady, somewhere in her early 40s.
When I first looked at her, I thought I saw a family resemblance with her brother. I hadn’t seen him in over a year, but I remember faces pretty well. Her dress was stylish, with some sort of silk scarf around her neck. No wonder those guys stood up so quickly to greet her. Gina was a comely lady.
But as they approached Gina, to give her a warm Marysville hug, they all stopped in their tracks. Something wasn’t right … maybe it was her perfume. No, it wasn’t her perfume that seemed odd. It was the stubble on her chin, poking through her face makeup. This wasn’t Gina. This was an imposter.
And they were right. Gina was actually Larry Fitzgerald, proprietor of Marysville’s McAuliffe Hardware Store. Larry was in drag for the party. He made one pretty lady. At that point, I changed my mind … I thought Larry should have been tied with Bob West for the best costume at that party.
Those wishing to contact Bill Boyd can e-mail him at bill@davidwboyd.com