Month: September 2022

As a school administrator I can attest that there are certain activities that for whatever reason have brought the worst out in my students. Badminton comes to mind. I had more discipline referrals stemming from that sport than any other activity. Nonetheless, it still surprised me when I came across this article from 1989 (June 13) from The Vancouver Sun. I checked the date twice to ensure it wasn’t April 1. I’m glad these seniors found safer means like lawn darts to quench their competitive thirsts in a safe manner.

It wasn’t just American companies that were riding the crokinole craze of the 1890s. Above is a blurb from the Kingston Whig-Standard (Kingston, Ontario), March 9, 1898. The Schultz board is rather unique with its stamped wood grain design, produced with India Ink. No other manufacturer used the design so they are easy to identify. This is all the paper had to say about the order which impressed some journalist to at least write one sentence about it. The Schultz Bros. Co. must have had their hands full since they produced an array of products like ladders, washing machines, blinds, boxes, doors and builders’ supplies among other ‘novelties.’

The Nebraska State Journal (Lincoln, NE). March 18, 1900

According to some source, the official gift for a 30th wedding anniversary is the pearl. The pearl represents honesty and wisdom. But honestly, what would be a smarter gift than a crokinole party? The Griggs Courier of Griggs County North Dakota, on Friday April 30, 1897 splashed the following story on its front page. Now that I know what I’m doing for my 30th, my wife will be so impressed , I’ll probably never need to get her another gift again.