Pansy Rinehart wrote a letter to the Times-Tribune while Kim Olney was the editor. It was reposted by the Worth County Chronicle. She was a long-time teacher for the school. During the early 1930’s, she shared two stories about Kelso Rainbow Park:
–Many of the shows there were free. One such show involved a bear wrestling contest. Anybody could try their luck against the bear, which would have dwarfed Andre the Giant; however, contestants were warned never to touch the bear below the belt. One person, Don Pottorff, decided to try his luck. He nearly had the bear pinned several times, but then he slyly jabbed the bear below the belt. The bear went bezerk, cutting up Don’s cheek. Thankfully, Dr. P.J. Ross was present, and first aid was given, but Don’s face remained bandaged for the next several weeks.
–Then, there was the time that Sally Rand, the fan dancer, came to perform. The Rev. Noland, the Christian Church pastor, was on the program committee that brought her; however, all the other churches were in an uproar against the “immorality” of “such indecent exposure.” Despite dire threats of hellfire, many people came to watch, so many that the sheriff deputized several young men to provide security. The show went well, and Rand did an encore show that was even better than the first. The show was talked about for days. This sort of talk followed Elvis Presley 20 years later. Rinehart noted that swim suits today are much more revealing.
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