Years ago, women were not allowed to show much skin. Dresses came down to a lady’s ankle and would have gone further down if they hadn’t tripped on them.
There weren't any known peeping-toms back then because after sundown, all the bathroom shades were securely pulled down with expert, proper care. It would have taken a fella with x-ray vision to see inside a woman’s private bedroom chamber. The puritan ethics of modesty and lady-like character were still practiced in the twenties, thirties and forties.
Whether it was truth or fiction, there was a troop of lady performers that came through Garfield presenting a modern dance explosion from the great state of New York, known as the Big Apple.
Most of the women in Garfield stayed home when the show came to the high school auditorium on June 6, 1952, at 8 o’clock sharp.
The men were still in their overalls and brogan shoes when the dancers took to the stage. Most of the men were farmers who had just left the corn or cotton fields to get there on time.
The heavy red velvet curtain rose slowly and the high kicking dance performers from New York City sparkled and glittered in their skimpy one-piece outfits. Never had the menfolk from Garfield seen so much exposed female skin in one place. The men went wild with whistles, cat calls, and uncontrollable aggressive behavior. The dancers ran together in a semi-circle, afraid for their lives, not knowing what the men would do next. The police came with back-up from Swainsboro and the dance troop was safely escorted out of Garfield.
