Play Day, an all‑county athletic event for the rural schools held in Carrington, took place late in May shortly before the school year ended. Each of the schools was asked to enter boys and girls in various events such as 50 and 100‑yard dashes, sack and potato races and broad (now long) jumps. A trophy was awarded to the school which won the most events. The parents of each school prepared picnic lunches which we ate in the basement of the Methodist Church. Early in the afternoon we repaired to the field at the west edge of town (now the Fair Grounds) for the athletic contests. Birtsell No. 3 was not strong in these competitions and I do not remember that any individual of our school ever received even third place.
The Declamation Contest was another all‑county event. The students of both the rural and city schools competed in the recitation of poems and dramatic readings. The children competed in groups consisting of two or three grades. Between each classification there was a musical selection by a small group, usually girls, from one of the schools. I can recall attending only one of these contests, I never participated. In 1921 the contest was held in Bordulac on a hot and windy Saturday in May. Several parents, including my father, took three or four cars of children and teachers of the Birtsell and Barlow districts to the contest. The event was held in an unused store building with poor acoustics. Child after child, many of them, shaking with stage fright, recited their selections in small voices almost drowned out by the noises of the restless audience. I listened for a while but became bored by the nearly inaudible recitations. The final group of dramatic readings held my attention until our folks decided it was time for us to go home.
Christmas program on the last day before the holiday vacation was always the highlight of the year. We seldom had a live Christmas tree and Santa Claus wasn't always expected but what we did exemplified the true spirit of Christmas better than the present day commercialization. The program consisted as usual of recitations by the little children, a skit or two by the upper grades and carol singing by ‑all. There was no exchange of gifts as such but each child or family had a present for the teacher. The presents were simple, a nice handkerchief or something handmade, crocheted or knitted. There was popcorn and apples for all. I am sure that the program at the start of the Christmas vacation was an emotional experience for the teacher. After four months of day‑to‑day contact with her pupils whom she had grown to love she was leaving for a while to return to her home and family. It would be interesting to know the stories she had to tell back in Minnesota, Wisconsin, pr Iowa about her children in the flat Dakota prairies.
The Last Day of School Program was usually a simple one. Sometimes there were only a few songs and recitations, in other years there was a picnic and games in either the schoolyard or in the Weigman/Holth grove. I can remember best my first last day of school exercises. The mothers and children gathered in the afternoon on the Weigman front porch. We presented our songs and recitations from the porch while the mothers sat in chairs on the grassy lawn. My part was a four line recitation imperfectly remembered: "Pa, he sat down on Ma's old hat‑" and ending "‑That's just the style!" I don't remember what we had for lunch, probably cake and lemonade, but I do recall that afterwards we sat in the luxuriant grass looking for four leaf clovers. I couldn't find any but others did.
As with all children our thoughts on the last day of school were directed to the summer months free of books and lessons. Our teacher's thoughts may have been quite different. They may have been, "Thank goodness, it's over, " or "I hope I will see all these lovely children again, and soon." I rather think it was the latter and over the years there had been some slight contact with some, and looking back, I wish there had been more. Most precious of all is the presence in the neighborhood of my first grade teacher, Miss Wightman, now Mrs. Marie Richter.
Source: A History of Foster County 1983 Page 416