weddings
chivarees, decorating cars, & other traditions

the escort

In this escort, you can see the Square in the background and quite an escort -- A fellow in a crazy costume and blowing a horn moves forward with an early automobile in tow. There is a giant umbrella that appears to be sprouting from the back of the car.  The "Home Guard" follows with their rifles and signs.  There is at least one carriage or buggy in the procession, perhaps with the rest of the wedding party.

Photo 91 -- Escort for a chivaree, unknown couple, circa World War I era

Take a closer look at this fun picture!

charles & hazel wiar cook tie the knot in 1916

Here's another such event. We're delighted to know who and when.  It was the wedding of Charles Cook and Hazel Wiar, in 1916.  He's the one on the donkey, saluting with his hat!  Three members of the Table Rock band stand with the groom. A clarinetist has an arm on the donkey's rump, another band member with a brass instrument to the left and another to the right.  The signs are great: "No wedding bells toll for me."  "When a man marries, Trouble begins." One sign seems to say "Whole Darn Family" and the other "He, She, X_____."  That's the Methodist Church behind them, just four years after its extensive remodeling.  And no, it was not white.  One might assume that it was brown, but since the photograph is not in color, there is no way to tell.  It may have been a dark green for all we know!

Photo 1418, shared by Dianne Anderson, retouched by volunteer Kristin Quevedo

the wiar-cook wedding - redux of photo 1418

Lois Jentz Ahntholz, when she saw these posted, colorized them for fun!

​the wheel barrow

When Gordon Bethel, a widowed father, married Minnie Strohm, it was a happy occasion, and he -- apparently without hesitation -- pushed his new wife around in a wheel barrow. It hasn't been a Table Rock tradition, but it's not uncommon as a way of celebrating the wedding.

Shared by Jeanne & Bob Bethel

​
Here's a picture from the internet -- not from Table Rock -- to prove the tradition still exists, at least elsewhere:

Posted by CalvinHobbes21 at https://imgur.com/gallery/Hr8Gh, last visited October 10, 2019

a little more -- bob dylan!

When Mark Mayer, a professed Dylan nut, saw this webpage, he posted on Facebook.  Guess Dylan heard of the tradition, too!

Cool stuff. I found the wheelbarrow tradition really interesting. Reminds me of the Bob Dylan song, Things Have Changed. Part of the song is:

"Feel like falling in love with the first

woman I meet

Putting her in a wheelbarrow and wheeling

her down the street".

The photo at left is accompanied by an explanation: 

My wife and I got married nearly 4 years ago. Her My wife and I got married nearly 4 years ago. Her family has a wedding tradition that goes clear back to her great grandparents. After the reception, the groom pushes the bride in a wheelbarrow down a main street in town for about a mile or so, eventually arriving at the 'get-away' vehicle. Family and friends are invited to run down the sidewalk with the couple, or they drive next to them in vehicles while flashing their lights and honking their horns. Needless to say, we cause quite a ruckus when we do this. There are always people in stores and restaurants along the path that come out to see what's going on and they usually end up cheering for us as we pass. All in all, it's a fun tradition that I can't wait to see our kids do someday! 

decorating the car

kidnapping the bride

more comments

Millie, whose mom Rose was from the Stepan family of  Table Rock/Dubois, remembers:

The chivarees in my younger days usually had the locals come to the groom's house and banged pots and pans making a lot of noise. Then they demanded money from the groom. If the groom did not oblige they dunked him in the tank or did some other prank. Usually, the groom obliged with money or beer for all. I don't recall anything happening to the bride.

J. Pete Hedgpath is not from  Table Rock. He's an old railroader friend of ours, though, and his wife was a Bohemian girl who played tuba.  He understands us folks here in Table Rock, and he often tells a good tale!  About this subject, he said in 2020: 

It's been many many many years since I've heard the word Chivarees..actually I don't think i've EVER seen it written. I don't know whether it was a part of the Chivaree, but my late wife told me that sometimes the "party" would "kidnap" the bride...That's just way too, but there's always a few that "don't now the limits".