MOONLIGHT PICNIC AND DANCE | There is something magical about finding a tiny, forgotten window into the past. While scanning through an old June 1920 archive of The Covington Leader, a small notice caught my eye. It wasn’t a headline about world politics or major historical events, but rather a warm invitation to a party that took place over a century ago.
The advertisement read:
Moonlight Picnic and Dance: At the home of Mr. and Mrs. J. V. Fite, one-half north of Atoka, on Atoka and McPeak road, Thursday night, June 24. Music furnished by Saxby’s Band from Memphis. Public cordially invited. Come eat, dance and be merry. — F. R. Huffman and M. C. Delashmit [June 17, 1920]
Reading those few lines, it’s impossible not to let your imagination wander. Close your eyes for a second and picture it: It’s a warm, humid Thursday night in rural Tennessee. The year is 1920. The Roaring Twenties are just beginning to roar, and the local community is eager to shake off the dust of the workweek.
As the sun begins to dip below the horizon, folks from all around Tipton County start making their way down the Atoka and McPeak road. Some arrive in early Model T Fords, kicking up dust along the dirt paths, while others arrive the old-fashioned way, in horse-drawn buggies.
The hosts, Mr. and Mrs. J. V. Fite, have transformed their property for the evening. Strings of lanterns are likely strung up between the trees, casting a soft, amber glow over the grass. Tables are piled high with homemade picnic food—perhaps fried chicken, fresh biscuits, potato salad, and sweet pies.
And then, there’s the music. The organizers, F. R. Huffman and M. C. Delashmit, didn’t just hire a local fiddle player; they went all out and brought in Saxby’s Band all the way from Memphis. In 1920, Memphis was a booming hub for early jazz, blues, and ragtime. As the band strikes up its first notes, the lively brass and infectious rhythm fill the night air. Couples step onto a makeshift wooden dance floor or simply dance in the grass under the June moon.
For a few hours, there are no worries about the crops, the economy, or the changing world. There is only the music, the laughter of neighbors, and the cool night breeze. The invitation promised a chance to “eat, dance and be merry,” and looking back through the lens of history, it’s easy to see that they did exactly that.
A century has passed since that Thursday night in Atoka. The people who laughed and danced under that 1920 moonlight are long gone, and the roads have undoubtedly changed. But human nature hasn’t. We still look for those same moments of joy, community, and escape.
The next time you’re driving down a quiet country road on a warm summer night, roll down your windows. If you listen closely, you might just hear the faint, joyful echo of Saxby’s Band playing across the decades.
Moonlight Picnic and Dance: At the home of Mr. and Mrs. J. V. Fite, one-half north of Atoka, on Atoka and McPeak road, Thursday night, June 24. Music furnished by Saxby’s Band from Memphis. Public cordially invited. Come eat, dance and be merry.
F. R. Huffman and M. C. Delashmit 1w*
[The Covington Leader, Covington, Tenn., June 17, 1920]