Let's stroll back in time a little....it is Nephi, Utah on March 1, 1899 and there is a wild party going on.

March of 1899 was quite the year for America. President McKinley named Mt. Rainer as a new National Park; a new over the counter drug was invented called "Aspirin" and George Dewey is named the first Admiral of the Navy. Utah Mormons were still mourning the lost of their leader-Brigham Young, who had died 22 years before, and the Tintic area of Juab County became the 3rd largest mining district in this brand new State called Utah. If you didn't understand what a football was, you were about to find out, as in that year, the University of Utah won two of its three games on Walker Field in Salt Lake, with both victories over the 9th Calvary. Nephi's A.W. McCune was trying to be a United States Senator, but the most important thing going on in Nephi was the "Old Folks" party. Yup, that is what they called them back then. It was to honor the Seniors of that day. It was held in the basement of the old North Ward LDS Chapel, which was built in 1891 and tore down in 1973. We have taken a photo copy of the outside of that chapel as well as in the inside, both from the history book called "They Left A Record". As I stumbled across a ribbon from that occasion, I thought I ought to seek out a "Young Folk" to make sure of what I had heard was correct. I talked to 100 year old Ellen Garrett, who gave me the low down of what took place at such parties. She said after she married Joe Garrett, she was too young to know better and roped in to the committee to help round up people and assign tasks for the yearly party. Joe enjoyed helping to transport the 200 or so that attended the gatherings. A bon-fire was built in the back where food was kept warm, then taken downstairs and eaten. In Ellens day, the party just got started after the vittles were consumed, as Joe's Dad-Rob Garrett was the caller for square dancing, and those "Old Folks" soon became young again and could do a Do Sa Do then Circle Left then an Allemande Right, but you had to be careful if you wanted to do the Promenade as that would need a Chaperone. While it was the older folks that was honored it was the younger ones that did the cooking and organizing, and all who attended wanted Joe Garrett to be their driver, as he could entertain as good as any.