Lis is reading a book on Disraeli

[xiphias]

So, yeah. Apparently, Benjamin Disraeli is basically a case-study in the dangers of self-esteem. Apparently, if you just manage to convince yourself that you are going to grow up to be Prime Minister, you can eventually convince enough voters of the same thing.

Anyway, she also was reading me excerpts about Disraeli's fashion sense. Um. To summarize, Benjamin Disraeli's fashion sense would make a pimp's eyes bleed. Like, I don't know about you, but I personally would not wear green velvet trousers with gold stripes down the seams with a scarlet shirt with giant silver buttons and a rainbow scarf.

Well, normally I wouldn't, anyway.

But it occurred to me: Victorian Day is coming up in a week or two.

See, Melrose throws a town party every year. This is one of the things I like about New England towns -- a lot of them will throw yearly parties, just, y'know, 'cause. Sometimes they have themes, sometimes they don't. Ludlow, VT, for instance, throws Zucchini Day, for instance -- a day to celebrate the miracle of zucchini, by having zucchini fritters, zucchini bread, zucchini races, Mister Zucchini-head contests, and, the highlight of the day, the Zucchini Catapult Contest, where people bring their catapults, trebuchets, and so forth, and attempt to launch a zucchini the farthest distance. So that's a theme party. Arlington, MA, on the other hand, where I grew up, just has "Town Day".

Town parties usually have food being sold by local restaurants, local merchants setting up displays and advertisements and stuff, local craftspeople selling stuff, dance studios and martial arts dojos putting on performances, pie-baking contests, stuff like that. Thank goodness, to the best of my knowledge, "competitive eating" hasn't made any significant inroads on New England town parties. . . yet. But it would probably fit in.

Anyway, Melrose's town party is called "Victorian Day", and it theoretically has a Victorian theme, although, in practice, it doesn't. People can show up in Victorian garb if they want to, but usually Lis and I are the only people who bother. We ended up with our picture in the local paper because of it, once.

But, see, now that we know about Benjamin Disraeli, the definition of "Victorian garb" just got blown wide open.

Comments

[ron_newman]

When and where is this event? Google knows nothing about it.

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

September 17, downtown Melrose. They block off the downtown strip of Main Street, and there's, y'know, stuff there.

[ron_newman]

Damn, if I didn't already have tickets to the Boston Folk Festival for that day, I'd go.

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

There's always next year.

[rebmommy.livejournal.com]

Oh, too bad - I'm teaching that afternoon at the mikveh. But, as you said, there's always next year. Please let us know so we can go with you. I remember with great fondness the Mother's Day High Tea at the Victorian Society mansion. And, yes, you and Lis (and I, somewhat) were the only ones in Victorian garb, besides the hostesses.

[mattblum.livejournal.com]

Yes, it does, but it's officially called "Victorian Fair."

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

Ah, thank you.

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cocoon/legacies/MA/200003091.html is a paragraph or two about it in general terms. There are big signs downtown, but I am not finding anything, even in the online editions of the paper.

[mattblum.livejournal.com]

Just Google "victorian fair" melrose.

[ron_newman]

Thanks. Based on the original post, I Googled for "Victorian Day" and then for "Victoria Day" (both with "Melrose"), and didn't come up with much.

[madame-urushiol.livejournal.com]

Which one is she reading? I've got a 1928 edition of Andre Maurois' "Disraeli" sitting on the shelf just calling my name. I just finished Jerrold Packard's "Victoria's Daughters" and found it delightful, and I'm not quite ready to take a break from the Victorian's yet.

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

Christopher Hibbert, Disraeli: The Victorian Dandy Who Became Prime Minister. There's a New Yorker review of the book which is pretty good.

[madame-urushiol.livejournal.com]

Ah! I adore Christopher Hibbert--his Queen Victoria bio was first rate. I'll put that one on my list. Thanks!

[msmidge.livejournal.com]

How do they race zucchinis?

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

Two ways, actually: one is that you number them and then drop them into a stream, the other is that you attach wheels to them and roll them down an incline.

[msmidge.livejournal.com]

Cool! I like the idea of zucchinis with wheels.

[jehanna.livejournal.com]

Disraeli's fashion sense would make a pimp's eyes bleed

Bit of a dandy, then, were we? Figures.

It's a fun period...the demand for public normativity was so strong that the handful of whackmobiles stand out even more.

[kelfstein.livejournal.com]

For most of history men dressed like Peacocks, then they went to dark suits or tuxes and it all went to hell in a hand basket.
I play in the SCA, Society For Creative Anachronism. I like loud clashing colors that make your eyes BLEED!
Have fun, pimp it out in Victorian style!

[felis-sidus.livejournal.com]

Fireworks. Don't forget the Arlington Town Day fireworks. Or, as I refer to it, The Bombardment.