Pleasures and Pastimes

Pleasures and Pastimes. . , Music, Sports, Drama and More, Music has played an important part in the social life of the Dayton community since shortly after the Civil War. The Rockingham Register newspaper reported that a "May Fest" had been held on the south edge of the town in the late 1860s, and that the Dayton Drum and Bugle Corps provided the music., In 1887, the Men's Cornet Band was formed and provided fine music at the town bandstand located on the Shenandoah Institute grounds. In 1908, the Ladies Cornet Band was formed with Mr. Sol B. Thompson as director. Both bands traveled throughout the Valley playing at lawn parties and giving concerts at special events. In conjunction with these bands, Band Reunions were held in the four counties of Rockingham, Page, Shenandoah and Augusta. The bands would meet in the various communities with competitions, a grand parade, a picnic; at a reunion, a grand concert featured the combined bands. These events in the early 1900s grew so large that the C and W Railway provided special trains to bring the crowds of visitors to the town. Both the men's and women's bands in Dayton were disbanded shortly before the outbreak of World War I. A number of the male band members joined the famous 116th Infantry Band and served both in the Mexican Border War just before World War I, and in France during the war., Dayton schoolboys were always involved in playing baseball; the boys played on the field behind the Dayton High School, and the rivalry between the Dayton and Bridgewater high schools drew large crowds of spectators. The Dayton High teams won a number of championships before the school was consolidated in the mid-1950s. Dayton High School also had excellent boys and girls basketball teams, and both teams won numerous county championships. Shenandoah College also had both excellent baseball and basketball teams. The college boys played baseball on the southeast side of town near Cooks Creek., Players from Dayton High and Shenandoah College formed a Dayton baseball team when the Rockingham County Baseball League was started in the mid-1920s. The Dayton team won several county league championships, and these sporting events promoted baseball as a favorite pastime for local residents., Dramatic plays were held in the auditorium at Shenandoah College. The large meeting hall above J. W. Hott's store on Main Street provided a stage for drama and musical operettas performed by out-of-town touring groups and Dayton High School. students. When the new gym and auditorium with a large stage was built at the high school in the 1920s, these entertainments moved there., Other social events at the schools included the May Day pageants at both the high school and college. This May celebration included the crowning of the king and queen and the selection of their court, which consisted of a girl and boy chosen to represent their class. Fine band music, the May Pole Dance and an elaborate pageant were the features of the day., (Captions):, The Men's Comet Band was formed in 1887 in Dayton, (Top left) May King and Queen at Dayton High School in 1938 were Hubert "Buddy" Estes and Bernice (Liskey) Simmers., (Bottom left) The 1938 Girls Basketball Team at Dayton High. Front Row (left to right): Carolyn Long, Ruth Caricofe, Janet Senger, Madeline Hoover, June Lee Hamilton. Back Row (left to right): Frances Keiter, Kathleen Thacker, Christine Wheelbarger, Coach Harry Will, Mary Jane Byers, Janet Spencer, Rebecca Byers, (Top right) 1928 schedule for the Rockingham County Baseball League, (Bottom right) 1953 Winning baseball team at Dayton High School