Oh man, a memory just popped into my head of sitting in the not-yet-air conditioned chapel of my youth on a humid Southern summer Sunday, all the windows open, and everyone in the congregation fanning themselves with special fans -- a wooden stick attached to a piece of cardboard with a picture of Jesus or some other holy scene printed on it.

Was that just a local phenomenon, or did any of you have the same thing way back when?

They had them in the Forest Dale (SLC) ward in the sixties.

Likewise in the Nibley Park ward in the sixties. Very popular with the old ladies.

Tucson 2nd ward So Az stake 1950's same

Make them now with Uchtdorf's picture and watch the old broads go into high gear trying to keep cool while looking at their secret heart throb polygamous husband hopeful.

Fans are useful. I used to carry a folding fan on the NYC subways for when they were underground with no air conditioning.

I have a wonderful African hand fan that unfolds on a stick which I carry in my bag at all times. Public transport can get hot in summer, summer ;-)

We made our own fans from the programs.

Hard to explain the creative accordion folds and dog ears but they worked great. Think I'll teach my grandkids this weekend.

This is what we did too :)

Same!

Those programs were made into origami frogs, fancy folded envelopes, snowflakes, sketch paper, spit balls, anything else?



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/22/2021 11:51AM by Dorothy.

Games!

Tic tac toe
Connect the dot
Hangman

Malad, Idaho in the 50's

I loved those fans, but there were a limited number. I actually have a fan like the ones they had back then that my daughter bought for me at the "Gone With the Wind" museum somewhere in the South.

S.E. Oregon, early 1950's. Local funeral home handed them out to all the local churches regardless of denomination. Had an ad for their services printed on them.

My central city Salt Lake ward had no air conditioning. It was a really old building. I remember open windows but do not remember any hand fans.
Programs ? What are those ?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/21/2021 09:44PM by Dave the Atheist.

Lots of wards had printed programs. Basically outlining the talks and songs on one side and announcements on the other.

Ours were mostly blue ink on white paper. We had an old mimiograph machine we'd hand crank to run off 100 programs.

Not sure when they stopped making them.

olderelder Wrote:

>... on a humid Southern summer Sunday... >

'Nuff said-


> Was that just a local phenomenon, or did any of you have the same thing way back when? >

FANS...

No, honey, it was a HOT thing.
People do it the world over.

They require no maintenance or electricity, are quiet, and are quite effective.

They're cool

Congrats on not descending to other hand things in church ...

You guys are the best.

Your doilies are between you and your bishop.

Other hand things?

Do you mean the incestuous back rubs?

Oh, yeah! That was the ultimate intimacy!