“Brother Oliver G. Purdy and Sister Bertha Purdy were very active and helpful to Sparks Schools after they moved for the second time to Sparks from Imlay in 1916. Sister Purdy was one of the main promoters of Jacks Carnival in 1924.
*Jacks Carnival and the parade down Prater Way was a tradition for Sparks elementary children for decades. It started in 1924 as a fund raiser for the schools of Mary Lee Nichols, Robert Mitchell, Kate Smith, Sparks Jr. High School and Sparks High School.
JACKS CARNIVAL PARTICIPANTS OF 1926
Below is a collection of names from a list of participants from the Sparks Branch in 1926. Vincent Keele was in first grade as "Jack
Straw." Other church member children included:
Harold Ferguson
Paul and Don Fife
Ellen, Mildred, Agatha and Carl Lundberg
Edwin and Phillip Huyck
Katherine Bertelson
LaVerne Ferguson
Robert and Don Purdy
Fay Bedell
Phyllis Rossiter
Irwin and Roy Porter
Harlyn Vidovich
Gordon Garrett
Newell Hancock
These names are familiar families in church records. There were many more names listed as participants in the newspaper article regarding Jacks Carnival that year.
*The list of “Jack’s
Carnival Participants” was
not written by Oliver Hansen.
Conclusion
Sparks was
incorporated over 100 years ago. Ask any of the residents who have lived out
their lives in the city and they will reflect on the days when there was a real
sense of community. Celebrations took place, businesses were accommodating and
people were friendly.
Perhaps some of the
pride and history have been lost through the decades of highs and lows; of
railroad booms and busts. Families come and go with just a ripple in the tide
of time. Only a handful of hearty characters sought the pleasure of staying in
the city built by the railroad. Today, however, many residents feel a
resurgence of pride and ownership, a renewal of camaraderie and a connection to
their pioneer heritage.
Photos by Farrel Ross
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