Before the Hopewell Harvest Fair (since 1987), there was Community Day (1970s-80s), the American Legion Carnival (1960s-70s), and the Hopewell Fire Department Carnival that ran from 1911 to 1953.
And now, thanks to Joan Bratsko, we have a second image of the Fire Department Carnivals in the late 1930s: the previous image of the 1939 Ice Carnival, and this new image of the 1937-38 Rainbow Carnival.
(See the earlier post on Hopewell Fairs and Carnivals and the 1939 Fire Department Carnival.)
The Fire Department Carnivals
These Fire Department carnivals, sometimes called Firemen’s Carnivals, were held at the end of East Broad Street in the 1910s, and then were held on the grounds of the Hopewell Grammar School on Model Avenue in the first half of the 1920s.
By the 1930s, as shown in the photos, the carnivals were held on the north side of West Broad Street, on the grounds to the west of the current Old Glory Detailing, between Eaton Place and the entrance to Taylor Terrace.
These were big events: The 1938 carnival “requires the services of at least 72 persons.” They also were important fund raisers for the Fire Department, especially for a new fire house and for new equipment. In 1939, for example, the committee reported a profit of $2,229 from $6,199 in gross receipts.
(See the earlier post for a discussion of the location, and the structures visible in the background of the photos.)
Rainbow Carnival – 1937 or 1938
The extensive decorations for these carnivals were done by H. Mount Williamson, Jr., who is described in his obituary as a World War I veteran, and a retired commercial artist and cartoonist.
Williamson grew up in Hopewell before moving to Trenton, and earlier had worked at the Hopewell House hotel and tavern on West Broad by Mercer Street, which was managed by his father, H. Mount Williamson.
The two carnival images show similar setups, with the rock wall at the entrance and the raised dance floor behind with banners on posts.
The Ice Carnival had a Ferris wheel in the distance, while the Rainbow Carnival had a large tent behind. Both had signs at the entrance saying “Shrubbery Furnished by Howe Nurseries.” The Rainbow Carnival also had a ticket booth behind with prices “Dance Tickets 10¢, 3 for 25¢” – plus a liability disclaimer for personal injury and property. (Those wild dancers!).
The 1939 Ice Carnival image is easy to date, since it it explicitly marked “Firemans Ice Carnival Hopewell N. J.” The Hopewell Herald newspaper reports on the Ice Carnival, held from July 28 through August 5, 1939, and even includes a photo of the “mammoth nine-foot tall snow man” that decorated the entrance.
At first glance, the second image also should be straightforward to identify, since it is marked “Fireman’s Rainbow Carnival, Hopewell N. J.” And the Hopewell Herald does includes articles on the Rainbow Carnival and Fair, held July 31 through August 7, 1937.
However, it turns out that while the 1938 carnival was planned to feature a “90-foot pirate ship,” it instead was simplified to use the rainbow decorations from 1937. This was due both to reduce expenses during the slow recovery from the Great Depression, and because H. Mount Williamson, Jr. was unavailable due to other commitments. Instead, the 1938 carnival was planned to expand on the rainbow theme: “Interesting exhibits will be displayed under a mammoth tent. A Ferris wheel, bingo and swings will be among the many novel attractions. Dancing will be enjoyed on the rainbow floor.”
Since we do not have definitive reports on the final look of the 1937 and 1938 Rainbow Carnivals, we can only conclude that this image is from one of those two years before the outbreak of World War II.
See the earlier post on the 1939 Fire Department Ice Carnival for more on the history of the Hopewell carnivals, and a discussion of the location shown in the images, including the structures visible in the background
We welcome additional images and information on these Hopewell town events: the Fire Department Carnival, Legion Carnival, Community Day, and Harvest Fair.
More on Town Events
See also Memorial Day
Hopewell – Harvest Fair, Community Day, Legion Carnival , Fire Dept. Carnival
- Hopewell Harvest Fair – Photos
- Hopewell Harvest Fair Almanacs (1987-) and Community Day
- Harvest Fair Wooden Car Derby – 1983 – 2006
- Hopewell Community Day, 1974 – 1985
- 1978 American Legion Carnival – Gary Saretzky
- The Legion Carnival Train and Booths
- 1939 Hopewell Fire Dept Ice Carnival Mystery Photo
- 1937-38 Hopewell Fire Rainbow Dept Carnival
Pennington – Pennington Day
Titusville – Fourth of July
- Titusville 1956 July 4th Parade and Water Show – and video
