S.S. Priscilla, Great Danbury Fair, October 1958
Today's "Anything Goes Saturday" images were a mystery to me; we see a small, unusual-looking sternwheeler on a glassy body of water, with the name "S.S. Priscilla" visible on the life preservers on the upper level (the "hot dog deck", I believe). It turns out that this was enough of a clue - the "steamboat" was at the Great Danbury Fair, in Danbury, Connecticut, circa October, 1958. We've visited the Danbury Fair before, take a look HERE and HERE. I love the modest, charming look of this boat - it's almost a piece of folk art.
This vintage postcard was what helped me ID the two vintage slide scans!
5 comments:
Major-
"Capt. Nick" pilots the S.S. Priscilla, I see. (The 'steamboat' almost looks as if it were constructed from a kit purchased thru Sears, Roebuck-! (I wonder if it's related to the S.S. Minnow-?)
Thanks, Major.
I wonder if this sternwheeler really was a sternwheeler, or if the paddlewheel was merely decoration and the boat got is power from a hidden engine/motor? Probably not steam. Not that it really matters. The boat looks cute as a button (whatever that means).
A lot of its appeal is due to the color scheme; bright primary colors. Plus the black trim. I suppose it comes perilously close to Knott's "Red Cliff" train engine colors. But there are enough differences to make this boat look good (Chuck will be happy!).
These pics look really good considering they're all the way from 1958. Crisp saturated colors. In the postcard pic, someone is putting their hand down into the water. I hope management didn't stock this body of water with piranhas, crocodiles, and Killer Swans!
So goes Anything Goes. Anything Goes is now Anything Went. Thanks, Major... Now that I look at it, "goes" is a weird-looking word.
Priscilla is really ‘dragging,’ in that postcard shot.
In that first pic, the girl leaning on the bow of the boat looks bored out of her gourd! Maybe she's thinking, "I'd rather be at Disneyland!"
I wonder if the Fair had a candy store, where visitors could buy some Danbury Mints? Wah waaah!
Thanks for the fun Fair pics, Major!
@ Sue-
"Priscilla is really ‘dragging,’ in that postcard shot".
It was an attempt by the 'Great' Danbury State Fair to recreate the Mark Twain on Disneyland's opening day...
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