A shivaree: a noisy 'wedding greeting' at Mr. Pajeda's farm

Well, now I'll tell you what happened to us and how the community is. We always managed to have a little shivery for those that got married, you know. And, well, we were kind of young people, just a short time married.

The oldest boy must have been about 13, 14. And so John, my husband, he had one of those big cattle trucks and hauling milk into the factory. And so he was kind of like a partial leader. Anyhow, he let the neighbors know around that they're going to make a shivery on certain party that night and to be ready.

And so they got ready. And this time I went with the rest of the school, about five or six ladies, wives of the husbands that were. And a lot of young people, you know, 16, 18. And my oldest one, like I say, he was about 15, I think.

he went that day. And so there must have been about 30 or 35 of us on this sheer shivering. Well, we've heard for sure that one of the neighbor's boys, Jerry, Jerry Poeta, was married in Chicago. And the young people come home, and they were celebrating the marriage here again on the farm, or about two miles from our place.

And the bride's mother and father come to the farm to see for the first time. And, you know, things were kind of nice. We had spies that found out that they're all having a ball at home, you know.

And they had just a one -room house. So they were plenty crowded. And Mr. Pajeda, he made some home brew. Those times it was Everybody was whoever cared to drink He made some home brew But Mr. Pajeda made home brew That he forgot to put Enough sugar in it So it was very bitter You couldn't drink it hardly But he praised it And he says that's the way it should be Homebrew and all that So he was Giving it to these people from Chicago Well he partook quite a bit himself I think because when we come about those 7 o 'clock in the evening to

do the shivery he come out and he says what do you want around here and one of our friends Mr. Egestaffer he was a burly guy or maybe 250 he weighed about 250 and he was wide and hefty and he come out and he says now Frank that was Mr.

Pageta's first name he says Frank we come I'm here to shivery Jerry, and we want him to dish out $3 .50 for the beer. And we've got the musicians all organized. They're going to play for nothing, and we're going to have a nice wedding dance at the hall.

And, of course, you and the whole company is invited, and especially the bride and groom. They can go no place, and they're not moving from here, and you can get no scent from us. Well, that was a big sign for the rest of it was all listening.

So we started, and oh, I am telling you, such a racket, you have to go far to here. We had a 10 -gallon can covers, you know. We held them one in each hat and bang it against one another.

Then some had a big sauce, and they pound on them, and they made different noise. Then they had jingle bells, and they had cowbells, and they had broken down aluminum kettles that they pound with hammer on. Each one gave a different sound and different noise, and it was such a din, it was terrific.

And we get that up for about five minutes or more, maybe, till we got kind of tired. Then we stopped, and Mr. Agasteper went towards the door, and he says, Frank, He says, we want to see Jerry and the bridegroom, and we want him to bring his bride out.

We want to meet her, see her.