Friends of Historic Forest Grove Digital Exhibits

Gay Nineties parade float with a phonograph and Victorian-era pump organ

A black and white photograph by Allan J. de Lay featuring a Gay Nineties parade float with a Victorian-era pump organ and phonograph. The buildings pictured in the background that housed JCPenney, Gimre's Shoes, Dunlap's Music, and a local barbershop no longer exist due to a fire that ravaged the four buildings in downtown Forest Grove in 1982.

This is one photograph from a collection on the Gay Nineties festival and the the Original All-Northwest Barbershop Ballad Contest in Forest Grove, Oregon. The festival centered around a theme of nostalgia for the 1890s decade. The event, which ran from 1947 through the 1990s, featured a parade downtown, residents dressing up in 1890s-themed costumes for the celebrations, local businesses decorating their window displays, and the crown jewel of the event, the Original All-Northwest Barbershop Ballad Contest, which earned Forest Grove the nickname "Ballad Town U.S.A."

De Lay, Allan J.

1950/1967

FHFG_G90_210

Forest Grove (Or.)

Nostalgia--United States--19th century

Nostalgia--United States--History--20th century

Barbershop quartets

Barbershop singing

Parades

Festivals

Forest Grove, Oregon

Online access to this image is for research and educational purposes only. To inquire about permissions, order a reproduction, or for more information, please contact Friends of Historic Forest Grove at: info@fhfg.org

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Friends of Historic Forest Grove