Fun and fame at the Food Fair and Fashion Festival in 1973

by Emily Mayer

Fifty years ago, on a beautiful autumn October afternoon, hundreds of local women gathered at the Armory Gymnasium on then Northern Montana College's campus to attend the 1973 Food Fair and Fashion Festival. This event was organized by the many homemaker extension clubs in Hill, Blaine, Chouteau and Phillips counties, local merchants in those communities, KOJM radio station, the Havre Chamber of Commerce, and others. The purpose of the event was to share information on foods and how to prepare them, homemaking tips, and upcoming fashion trends for the fall season.

Homemaker extension clubs, also known as home demonstration clubs, homemaker clubs, home bureaus or home advisor groups, were an offshoot of the Homestead Era. Not everyone who took up a homestead knew how to cook, clean, preserve foods, sew, garden or prepare nutritious foods. These clubs provided women with information on how to do these necessary tasks, as well as provide an outlet to gather with fellow women and learn skills from them. Hill County had many homemaker extension clubs at one time. My grandma, Violet (Bunton) O'Donnell, belonged to the Golden Circle Homemakers Extension Club, which was made up of women who lived on Havre's north side. In addition to the aforementioned subjects, the clubs also taught crafts such as quilting, needlework, and other hobbies deemed "women's work" at the time. Meetings were held at churches, schools or in members' homes.

To be fair, men also had opportunities to learn about crops, machinery, harvesting, carpentry and the like, and these were organized by the Ag Station located at the former Fort Assinniboine in the early 1900s. These, too, were large events, bringing in experts and speakers to share information, and while the men were learning about the latest in farming and ranching, events were organized specifically for women, and these sessions are how local homemaker extension clubs were formed.

The Food Fair and Fashion Festival was no small feat to organize. It took months for the involved parties to arrange speakers, reserve the venue, create promotions at local businesses, advertise and finalize the itinerary. It is a huge task to organize events today in Hill County, but it was monumental 50 years ago to have four counties work together, and they did it with great success.

The all-day events agenda included "The Meat Situation" by Mervin D. McIntyre, meat operations director at the Ryan Mercantile Company in Great Falls. In 1972, due to poor weather conditions, increased domestic demand and unusually high exports of pork, meat prices skyrocketed, leaving consumers, mostly women, in a panic. In April of 1973, a grassroots nationwide boycott of meat was organized by women to protest the rising costs of meat. This wasn't just beef - it was pork, poultry, fish and seafood as well. High meat prices were across the board.

I'm sure some young ladies and men are wondering why it was women who led the charge back in 1973 to boycott meat? Back then, it was mostly women who did the grocery shopping, housekeeping and home economics. The women were shocked and worried about feeding their husbands and children, and boycotts included abstaining from buying and cooking meat as well as organized protests. Some households prepared meatless meals on Tuesdays and Thursdays to protest high meat prices. While prices did come down for a short time, the grassroots activism of everyday housewives and women got the attention of meat packers, grocery stores, and government officials. "Housewife Activism" gained recognition nationwide. Mr. McIntyre's presentation was meant to help women economically prepare and serve various meat cuts to feed their families.

Another speaker was Kathy Cunningham, an American Dairy Association representative from Salt Lake City. Her presentation, "Dairy Delights," described new dairy products and ways to prepare these, and old-fashioned favorites, to serve to your family and dinner guests.

Mrs. Anna Lee Purdy, a Bozeman fashion consultant, described the new fashions and accessories for the 1973 autumn season. The featured speaker, Mrs. Cindy Adams, also spoke about fashions, and she should know. As the former Cindy Heller, she won 57 beauty contests, was a model and actress, as well as a magazine writer, syndicated columnist and radio performer. She married her husband, comedian Joey Adams, in 1952, and later became the Miss Universe contest chairman and designed a multi-million dollar jewelry line for Cartier. At age 93, Mrs. Adams is still a gossip columnist for the New York Post. She's among the last of the old-school gossip columnists of the like of Liz Smith, Hedda Hopper, Louella Parsons, and Igor Cassini, brother of fashion designer Oleg Cassini, who created the "Jackie Look" for First Lady Jackie Kennedy. Mrs. Adams is also a strong animal rights activist, and every Dec. 9, hosts a Blessing of the Animals at Christ Church in New York City.

Attendees at the big event were given a box lunch and door prizes. What they also got was a fun day of learning valuable information about foods, as well as seeing some of the latest fashions they could purchase at local shops. A photograph of the event taken by my uncle, David Mayer, shows a packed Armory Gym of well-dressed ladies.

Part of this event was the creation of a cookbook, with recipes submitted by women in the aforementioned four-county area. Special entry forms for recipes to submit were found at local grocery stores. I think most people who have lived here for a certain length of time have either seen this cookbook, or have it in their collections. A copy of this cookbook can be found at the Havre-Hill County Library, and the Clack Museum has a volume in its collection. It's a great cookbook, with a fantastic introduction section with everything from cooking terms, various meat cuts on livestock and how to carve meats to how to set a table for a buffet and when Easter Sunday would fall for the next 25 years. The printed recipes not only included the women's names and where they lived, but also their phone numbers, which is unusual. It's the only cookbook I have in my collection that has that information. The response to submit recipes was overwhelming, and not all recipes submitted were included in the cookbook.

The cover says it's "Volume 1," but I've never seen a "Volume 2," so if you have heard of a second volume, or have one in your collection, please contact me.

I don't know if this cookbook was sold at the event, or was made available after the event. Articles in the Havre Daily News don't mention it. If you have information, your call is always welcome.

I recognize some of the names in the cookbook and have made some of the recipes. This one is from Mrs. Ordean Solberg of Box Elder. I remember Irma, as her daughter, Jennifer, and I worked together at the House of Fabrics in the Holiday Village Mall in the early 1990s. I'm sure Jennifer will be happy to see her mom's recipe again!

Family Favorite Hot Dish

1 ½ lb. hamburger

1 can of chicken rice or cream of chicken soup

1 can of cream of mushroom soup

1 ½ c. of chow mein noodles

1 pkg. of frozen mixed vegetables

Brown hamburger and pour off grease. Combine with other ingredients in large casserole and bake one hour at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. No need to thaw vegetables, break apart and distribute evenly over hamburger mixture. 6 good servings.