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A Hit At Farm. Home Showlt;11By JLil Johnson'Uncle Willie”, diminutive nightclub entertainer and TV and movie star, made a hit with the opening night audience at the Farm- and Home Show in Agriculture HalitThe 6-day show opened Tuesday night and will continue • through Sunday. About 900 persons attended the show which features the latest equipment, furnishings and building material for the-modern home.Willie is a 23-year old performer who started his professional e a-reer at six. He sings and dances and- his mimicry has .pyt him in 'many of- the country’s leading night spots. He's toured with such bands as Tommy Dorsey’s and Blue Barron's.He gives his show three times each night and four limes on Saturday and Sunday.Carvings PopularAnother entertainment feature.at the F and H show is the famous Potvin carvings. Most of the carvings, depicting such scenes as the face on the barroom floor, “Home Sweet Home”. Village Blacksmith” and a dozen others are animated. “The Stampede of Texas Longhorns” which is non-ani* mated, is orie of the masterpieces.The carvings, made of a hundred different kinds of wood from over the world, feature such homely touches as the mother takingIbread from the oven,, grandpa pouring water, a pump actually drawing water, a dog panting for breath, his tongue flicking in and outOne of the masterpieces of the show is a realistic carving of “Daniel and the Lion”.Perhaps no sincerer compliment was given it than that by a small boy who exclaimed, “Davey Crocket!”The carvings were made by a French Canadian, Moise Potvin, who lived with his large family in comparative poverty most of his life, despite the fact the carving display is now valued at $300,000. The violins Potvin carved command prices from $3000 to $10,000.Many of th§ merchants who are;displaying their latest merchandise#have operators to demonstrate how the equipment works.Sewing machines buzz away merrily, doing amazing stitches ofIembroidery or such practie a I things as making button holes and sewing on buttons.One man fries a steak to demonstrate Ids out-door grille. Music pours from an organ and piano booth.A building concern has a tea kettle boiling away beside a bowl of fish swimming around merrily, to demonstrate the effectiveness of insulation material.. You can watch your favorite TV program from several- booths, and see machines washing and drying clothes.There are plastic enclosed I booths where the visitor can geta chilling from an air conditioner.Then there’s a chair, in a furniture display that attracts a lot of attention. It has a vibrator among its springs.The attendant said the chairftis guaranteed to “take the tiredness out of the most tired business man”.A truck featured plexiglas fenders, though to the viewer they look just like the ordinary metai ones.A glass blower is busy turning out figurines.The show was opened officially by Dr. Max Lake, Salina mayor. Also making brief welcoming talks were John Cranor, manager of the Chamber of Commerce, Ken Rowland, Junior C bf'C president;Wj?i Burnett, Jaycee show chairman, and Cad Olson, show manager.Agriculture Hall doors open for the;show.at 6 pm each day except Saturday and Sunday when the doors open at 2 pm. The show closes at 10:15 each night.
Newspaper Details
Salina Journal
Salina, Kansas, US
Wed, May 18, 1955
Page 13
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 13 Nov 2022
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