How I Spent My Summer Vacation
Before air conditioning, Johnson Countians beat the heat in the shade of a porch roof. Porches served not only as the outdoor parlor during hot weather, but frequently as the dining room and bedroom. Porches were where people relaxed with a glass of iced tea, visited with their neighbors, and watched the world go by. The world they watched during those hot summer days of the 1920s was changing.
With the end of World War I, the people of the United states enjoyed an era of seeming prosperity as inventions and innovations came within the reach of average Americans. Automobiles and electricity — and the machines that it powered — changed the face of America. The advent of the 40-hour work week meant more Americans had time to enjoy a greater variety of sports and entertainments.
While summertime had traditionally meant picnics, family reunions, and 4th of July celebrations, the availability of affordable automobiles meant families could do more traveling. The idea of the family vacation developed in this decade. Johnson Countians camped in the Ozarks, hiked in the Grand Canyon and visited California.
By the 1920s tourist camps could be found along well-traveled roads, including those in Johnson County. These facilities provided vacationers with a convenient spot to camp and cook their meals. “Mr. Starr has given the name of ‘Starrwood’ to the beautiful grove east of the creek [near Zarah]... He has constructed an archway over the east entrance bearing the new name of the tourist camp. We understand he is anticipating constructing a few dutch ovens.” (Johnson County Democrat, June 9, 1922)
Not all excursions were over long distances. A breezy drive on a Sunday afternoon or in the cool of the evening offered relief from the summer’s heat. For young people, traditional summertime picnics became adventures when combined with Mr. Ford’s Model T. “In cars, twenty of them, the Overland park young people went to the weinie roast at Indian Creek... And a merry time they did have, for after a supper of hot dogs, buns, pickles and marshmallows, some gathered around the campfire and sang, while others played the good old-fashioned games of ‘Last Couple Out’ and ‘Flying Dutchman.’” (Johnson County Democrat, June 28, 1923)
Even though auto trips became more common in the 1920s, motoring was still an adventure, and travelers had to expect at least one flat tire or mechanical problem on any trip. Despite the difficulties, there was such an increase in the use of automobiles that a real need for better roads and good signage arose. A paved highway, the first in Johnson County, was completed between Olathe and Kansas City in 1925.
Automobiles also gave people easier access to new forms of leisure activities for fun and fitness. While families still enjoyed lawn games such as croquet and badminton, other sports like golf and swimming were gaining in popularity.
Once a pastime for only the rich, golf became a middle class sport in the 1920s. Some golfers competed on teams and in tournaments; for others it was a leisurely game. Johnson county became a golfer’s heaven as the J.C. Nichols Company laid out three new courses as part of the Country Club District: the Community Golf Links, the Mission Hills and the Indian Hills country clubs. In addition, the Kenneth Smith Company, a golf club manufacturer, opened in Shawnee in 1921. With the invention of the swinging weight scale in 1926 the company became a leader in club design. The scale allowed the weight of the club to be matched to a golfer’s swing. The company also introduced the perforated grip that year.
Swimming became a sport in the 1920s, and the new one-piece suits reflected the emphasis on health and exercise. The new suit gave the wearer more freedom of movement in the water and more people began to enjoy the sport. Swimming beaches were added to area lakes. The Olathe Mirror reported on June 11, 1925: “Now that the weather has turned so warm, the swimmers are going by twos, threes, and half dozens to the lakes of the Olathe Amusement Company, where this sport is greatly enjoyed. For those who wish to boat ride, there are boats for $.25... and you can rent a suit for $.10. The 60-foot slide is quite popular with both boys and girls.”
After daytime sports new evening pastimes were made possible by electricity and several of the inventions and innovations powered by it. Dressing up and stepping out — young couples enjoyed a night at the cinema or dancing.
The cinema during the twenties was exerting a powerful force as people flocked to theaters like the Gem and the Moneta. There they could see “Are Parents People?” or “The Call of the Canyon” where promoters said “... a son of toil teaches a daughter of jazz the abc's of living and loving.” “Fascinating Youth” was a great favorite among the people of Johnson County because it starred Olathe native, Charles “Buddy” Rogers. In 1925, young Buddy left Olathe for Hollywood and soon became a box-office hit. He went on to star in “Wings,” the first film to receive an Academy Award for Best Picture.
Many young people emulated the styles they saw at their local cinema. Some young women in Johnson County shocked their parents with the fashions of the day as they cropped their hair, shortened their skirts, and rolled down their stockings. Were they flappers? The Johnson County Democrat on March 31, 1922, answered that question: “A flapper is a young girl who has no mother. Yes we mean it — NO mother. There may be a female at home whom she calls ‘the old woman,’ but for all practical purposes the girl is motherless, and like Topsy, has just ‘growed up.’”
The 1920s ushered in the jazz age. Local bands played the new sound and young people danced the Charleston, the Black Bottom and the Heebie-Jeebie. Dances were held in country clubs, hotels, and in local parks where a wooden platform became the dance floor. Electric lights were strung outdoors so that the dances could continue long into the night.
If there was no dance, people could turn on their radios and listen to music from all over the country. the radio was fast becoming a fixture in the American home. By the end of the decade, not only music and variety shows, but professional baseball games were being broadcast.
The decade was a time of change in the leisure habits of America and Johnson County. July 4th celebrations added stunt planes and motor car races. Restaurants and drug stores advertised the cooling effect of electric fans, and evening entertainments were lengthened by electric lights. The radio joined the family on the front porch. But as in years before, children still played outside, families held reunions and picnics, and lemonade and ice cream were cool refreshments during the summer heat.
--ALBUM vol. 4, no. 3 (summer 1991)