Senior commemorates history of the fair
Senior student's murals trace the progression of the Hillsdale County Fair through the years
Marieke van der Vaart
Issue date: 10/22/09 Section: Arts
Senior's work commemorates the efforts of the nation's last remaining Women's Congress with fairground murals.
For Hillsdale College senior Cassandra Bacon, this summer and four empty walls in the Woman's Congress building at the Hillsdale County Fairground were the opportunity of a lifetime.
The art major spent 203 hours in June and August painting four murals on commission in the building - murals documenting the history and founding of the woman's organization.
When the Hillsdale County Fair was established in 1851, women in floor-length dresses and puffy sleeves weren't supposed to go to the horse races. Rather than wait for their men in boredom, the women of the fair banded together to represent the everyday woman in what became known as The Woman's Congress, past president of Woman's Congress Janet Powers said.
Woman's Congress members still wear floor-length dresses with puffy sleeves standing out at the fair in their 19th century dresses, hats and sashes, Powers said.
The organization represents all the townships of Hillsdale County and meets three times a year to socialize with one another and prepare for the fair, the ultimate culmination of their congress, she said.
Today the organization is comprised of 28 members - the only branch of Woman's Congress in the country.
"We have a good group," Powers said. "We're working all the way from about [ages] 35 to 90."
The week-long activities at the fair feature local artists invited by members. Powers said past fairs have showcased entertainers from Scottish dancers to piano soloists to a saw player.
After the group of women painted the walls of their building last year, it set out to find someone to paint murals. Powers and Irene Valentine of the Woman's Congress chose Bacon, who had already painted five murals, to paint the murals to surprise the members of the congress at the fair.
"I was told to keep it hush-hush 'til the fair," Bacon said.
For Hillsdale College senior Cassandra Bacon, this summer and four empty walls in the Woman's Congress building at the Hillsdale County Fairground were the opportunity of a lifetime.
The art major spent 203 hours in June and August painting four murals on commission in the building - murals documenting the history and founding of the woman's organization.
When the Hillsdale County Fair was established in 1851, women in floor-length dresses and puffy sleeves weren't supposed to go to the horse races. Rather than wait for their men in boredom, the women of the fair banded together to represent the everyday woman in what became known as The Woman's Congress, past president of Woman's Congress Janet Powers said.
Woman's Congress members still wear floor-length dresses with puffy sleeves standing out at the fair in their 19th century dresses, hats and sashes, Powers said.
The organization represents all the townships of Hillsdale County and meets three times a year to socialize with one another and prepare for the fair, the ultimate culmination of their congress, she said.
Today the organization is comprised of 28 members - the only branch of Woman's Congress in the country.
"We have a good group," Powers said. "We're working all the way from about [ages] 35 to 90."
The week-long activities at the fair feature local artists invited by members. Powers said past fairs have showcased entertainers from Scottish dancers to piano soloists to a saw player.
After the group of women painted the walls of their building last year, it set out to find someone to paint murals. Powers and Irene Valentine of the Woman's Congress chose Bacon, who had already painted five murals, to paint the murals to surprise the members of the congress at the fair.
"I was told to keep it hush-hush 'til the fair," Bacon said.
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