50 YEARS AGO

The staff of Holmes Electric looked the part during the April 1954 bicentennial of Cumberland County: Many of the men grew beards, and the women dressed in period costumes. (Larger image)

Tommy Hall won the beard contest by a whisker, and Joyce Turnage reigned over the weeklong festivities after being elected Miss Cumberland County Bicentennial Queen. Half a century ago, Cumberland County "polished up its southern hospitality and extended its welcome mat," as The Fayetteville Observer put it, to play host to thousands of visitors who attended the celebration of the 200th anniversary of its formation from the upper part of Bladen County.

From April 19 to April 25, 1954, Fayetteville was center stage for a schedule crammed with activity, from parades and pageants to gigantic fireworks and even a "husband-calling contest."

Some of the men wore beards, mustaches, top hats and bow ties, and the women of the county dressed in a variety of bonnets and old-fashioned dresses.

The Observer reported more than 75,000 in attendance for the downtown bicentennial parade.

Gen. George C. Marshall, chief of staff of the Army during World War II and a former secretary of state, had accepted an invitation to attend Grand Parade Day, but an illness forced him to cancel. Gov. William. B. Umstead and Elizabeth Ives, the sister of Adlai Stevenson, were among the distinguished out-of-town visitors.

Over the week, Armed Forces Salute Day was held, and Fort Bragg troops presented a stirring re-enactment of the Invasion of Holland.

Upper Cape Fear Valley descendants of the Highland Scots banded together for a Gathering of the Clans Day, and the Gaelic College Sydney Girls' Pipe Band from Nova Scotia added a taste of Scottish flavor.

A 312-page edition of the Observer marked the bicentennial. (Larger image)

"The River of Courage" - a tribute to Cumberland County and its people - was billed in the newspaper as a nightly bicentennial "spectacular." One night, several members of the cast choir were injured when a runaway horse, ridden by a local dentist, galloped through the choir's stand on the Fayetteville High School football field.

On the opening Monday evening, a coronation was held for Turnage, who was a junior in the Highsmith Hospital Nursing School.

In a sign of the times, Mary Etta Lowe was crowned Miss Cumberland County Negro Queen and reigned over a bicentennial ball held in her honor. Field day contests for white children were organized at Lamon Street Park on opening day, while the athletic events "for Negro children" took place at Cape Fear Court extension.

Fayetteville Mayor George B. Herndon proclaimed April 21 as Baseball Day, and the old Fayetteville Highlanders of the Carolina League went 5-0 over the course of bicentennial week to open their season.

"We won't be around for the Tercentenary (or is it Tricentennial?) Celebration," said an Observer editorial on the day after all the celebrating ended, "but we hope such of our descendants as may have survived the perils of an atomic age have just as good a time in 2054 as we did in 1954."

Descendants of the Highland Scots banded together for a Gathering of the Clans Day in 1954.

A modest celebration - at least, more low-key than the one thrown in 1954 - is in the works for March 26 to 28 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Cumberland County.

Scheduled events include a downtown parade, complete with floats, marching bands and military units, historic displays, musical entertainment, storytelling, and an old-time carnival.

Baseball Hall of Famer Babe Ruth smacked his first professional home run at the old Fayetteville Fairgrounds, so it makes sense that a Babe Ruth museum traveling exhibit will be on display during the weekend.

On Saturday, the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra is prepared to play on the steps of Cumberland County's historic courthouse.

In its own church, the Snyder Memorial Baptist Church's Youth Choir will perform with a guest appearance by the Cumberland County Youth Orchestra Ensemble on Sunday.

It's a Cumberland County celebration of history and culture.

It's an official party, scheduled halfway along to 2054.

The next shindig is 50 years down the road, so let's enjoy this moment in time.