New Year's Eve history

Since at least 1879, with Adam Ludy and other Harrington pioneers, three simple words, Happy New Year, have echoed through the locale. Some winters, the greeting was delayed when heavy winter snows prevented people from circulating. In 1889, a Harrington news item bemoaned the new year with “Christmas is now over and the New Year is here with its many adversities and prosperities.” Once the town of Harrington was established, well before its incorporation in 1902, people would meet and greet on the earthen streets or boarded sidewalks in town. The early towns generally celebrated New Year’s Eve with a dance.

In 1898, Charlton, Green and Douglas issued posters announcing a grand masquerade ball. In Mohler, the town was “enlivened on New Year’s morning by a foot race between two prominent Mohlerites, for a large sum, through the drifts on Main Street; the short man won, hands down, his speed was so great that his arms and legs looked like a rotary snow plow at full speed to the admiring audience.”

Newspapers would endeavor to clear up their accounts and seek renewals, “To all paid-up subscribers we wish a happy New Year. We hope our delinquents will be troubled by their conscience until they remit the amount due us; after that may all the blessings of earth be theirs.”

Many celebrated both the Eve and the New Year with especially good food. In Odessa, the wedding of Peter Quade and Mary Schimke occurred at the home of Judge Ziegler on New Year’s Eve in 1900, the same year that it was reported that Rolla Lowe opened his new hotel with a large supper. Mrs. Nuelsen had a quiet party for a few friends that included Mr. and Mrs. Nuelsen, Mr. and Mrs. Unsoeld and daughter, Robert Alexander, Mr. and Mrs. Stanfield, Miss Keil and Miss Unsoeld.

The ball given by J.R. Miller and Frank Guth on New Year’s eve was the foremost of the season. Fifty numbers were out, which included people from across the county. The following year the Odessa Pleasure Club decided to give a New Year’s ball at Smith’s hall which promised to be the event of the season.

New Year’s at Mohler in 1900 was celebrated with a number of very unique costumes at the masquerade ball which was followed by a supper served at Mr. Yakes, “a credit to the host.” New Year’s Eve 1901 at Mohler was celebrated with a ball given by Peter Luiten where the music was performed by Joe Barto, James Totusek and son James. Others at the Odessa Gun Club celebrated by holding a shooting event on New Year’s Day in 1903. The 1905-6 Odd Fellows Ball was their grandest success as their third anniversary of the event under rather unfavorable weather conditions: 110 tickets had been sold and for those who did not dance, the offices of Drs. Luntz and Ganson and that of George Kennedy were opened for games to provide entertainment. Prior to the construction of the Harrington Opera House, balls and functions were held in a large building called the Bee Hive, which was soon replaced with events being held in the Plough building, and the grand ballroom of the Adams and Mitchum building. In 1908, the end of the year dance was entitled “Farmers’ Dance.” Over 60 numbers were sold and the music was furnished by the McDaniel orchestra of Odessa.

Weather for the Christmas and New Year’s celebrations in the countryside often presented a challenge. The January 1912 report was the harshest encountered while contemplating social and family gatherings. In Odessa, reports said, “Winter has had the Inland Empire and the entire Pacific Northwest in its grasp during the past two weeks. Beginning New Year’s eve, when the thermometer went to 16 below here in Odessa, the weather has continued cold, with the thermometer hovering around zero most of the time. Considerable snow has fallen during the same period and as high as three and four feet of snow is reported from some parts of the Inland Empire, while in the vicinity of Odessa from 14 to 16 inches of snow covers the ground.”

On New Year’s Eve and January 1, 1913, the World Famous DeMoss Lyric Bards appeared at the Harrington Opera House. Their program included Shubert’s ‘Serenade’ as a cello solo, an anthem from Mendelssohn’s ‘Elijah,’ one of Sousa’s famous marches on the Banjo Trio, a reading from Wallace’s ‘Ben-Hur,’ Swiss Hand Bell Ringing, one of the DeMoss Lyric Bards’ Columbian Souvenir Songs, Master Elbert plays a violin solo from Balfe; Roman clay flutes, a monologue, Verdi’s Anvil Chorus from the opera ‘II Trovatore,’ in which two little blacksmiths hammer at an anvil while the orchestra plays and the chorus sings, the xylophones or 80 pieces of tuned wood, a beautiful pantomime by Miss Lack, a character duet by Homer and Elbert about the school master and his Dutch pupil, George DeMoss plays two cornets at once; he will also play the guitar and banjo while the chorus sings ‘Evening Bells.’

Odessa’s opera house New Year’s Eve 1912-13 was the scene of the Fourth Annual Ball of the Odessa Firemen. They considered it a most successful affair with 70 couples attending and declaring it a most delightful time. Their music was provided by a Spokane orchestra and, like most of these early events, a midnight supper was served at the Hotel Odessa. This dance continued after the supper until nearly 4 a.m.

The most unique New Year’s Eve in Harrington’s history has to be that of December 31, 1930. “Ford Roadster To Be Given Away At New Year’s Eve Dance. Representatives of the Harrington Motor Company inform the editor that the big New Year’s Eve dance will continue up to 2 o’clock a.m. and that Rux Brothers’ orchestra has been employed to furnish the music. Arrangements have also been completed with the host and hostess of Hotel Harrington, Mr. and Mrs. B.C. Wood, to serve a buffet lunch for 50 cents the night of the dance. It is on this occasion that a new Model A Ford DeLuxe roadster will be given away – FREE – TO SOME HOLDER OF A DANCE TICKET. Someone is going to be tickled beyond comparison that night. But, if you don’t get the car, you’ll have a lot of fun and meet more people than you’ve met at a dance in many a day. The management informs us that if the big Harrington Opera House will not accommodate all the dancers they plan to put on an old time dance simultaneously at the City Hall for the overflow, or those who prefer the old time dances. Two hundred thirty-seven tickets have already been taken for the dance, and arrangements are being made to mount the Ford DeLuxe Roadster on a truck, all decorated, and visit a number of the other towns of the county, just to show you that it’s a REAL GIFT for somebody. There will be no ‘gratis’ tickets out—every ticket on this dance will represent $1 paid for it. The car will be given away sometime before midnight, although the management has not yet decided definitely on the hour, but this will be announced later. Watch for future announcements. If you’re going to attend a dance anywhere New Year’s Eve, head for Harrington and have the time of your life and see who is given the car.” (Citizen: 12-12-1930)

“Novelties, Noisemakers, and Excellent Music are the headliners for the grand New Year’s Eve ball being sponsored by the Harrington Commercial Club at Harrington this year. The big event will take place on the evening of Dec 31 in the Harrington Opera house, with Miss Marjorie Heinemann’s 6-piece orchestra from Ritzville pulling you onto the floor to move in harmonious rhythm. The tickets will cost you one dollar and you and your sweetheart will never regret the price. Keep the date open for the dancing event of ’37.” (Citizen: 12-17-1937)

Car dealerships, banks and grocery stores always had pleasant surprises for their clientele at the beginning of each new year with gifts of calendars, a year-long advertisement in each home of that business. One such example was that in December of 1914 when the Harrington State Bank put out a “handsome calendar,” the scene being “Early November, Old Virginia.” It was a reproduction of a color photograph by Edward Lamasure, who had worked for the National Bureau of Engraving. The 1916 J.E. Williams & Co. calendar is available for viewing in Harrington City Hall’s memorabilia collection.

The Odessa Historisches Museum has many examples of businesses supplying calendars. Of those yet containing the dates, fine examples include: a 1911 calendar from J.M. Pederson, contractor, 9 x 11; a 1915 Joshua and Martha Elmer Christmas Card Calendar; a billfold sized calendar from Union State Bank, Odessa, December 1917; W.L. Michaelsen whose 1919 Calendar shows a photo of the inside of their store; Milwaukee Amerika Kalender, 1921; 1922 Calendar from Odessa Furniture Store, C.E. Weber, prop .; Michaelsen & Koth, 1924; Farmers & Merchants Bank, Odessa, 1927, 19 x 14, showing a winter scene, chalet, mountains and elk; Great Northern Calendar in 1931; Der Kirchenbote Kalendar 1943; and a calendar mirror from Odessa Bakery in 1951.