Dennis Saul
In the years before World War I, the name “Orchard Beach” referred not to a single, engineered shoreline but to a collection of beaches and resorts along the Pelham Bay coast. This area, encompassing the shores of Rodman’s Neck and the nearby Hunter and Twin Islands, served as a summer escape for New York City’s working-class and immigrant families. It was here, on these less formal shores, that community groups and associations held annual picnics and games.
For the women and girls of these communities, the annual picnic was a day of freedom from the routine of household chores and factory work. It was a chance to socialize and engage in lighthearted competition. Communities organized variety of races that were central to the day’s entertainment.
The events for girls were designed around simple fun. Young girls, dressed in white summer frocks and dark stockings, would line up for straightforward dashes across the sand. A more chaotic and popular event was the shoe race. For this contest, the girls would run barefoot to a designated spot, find their own shoes from a jumbled pile, and race back to the starting line after successfully putting them on.
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The women’s races were a main attraction. A favorite was the egg-and-spoon race, a contest that required balance and concentration over speed. Women, clad in their daily attire of long, heavy skirts and high-collared blouses known as shirtwaists, would carefully navigate the beach, trying to keep a fragile egg from tumbling off their spoon. The sight of grown women earnestly focused on this delicate task provided great amusement for the spectators lining the race course.
Other contests reflected the different social norms of the period. In 1907, an event billed as a “Fat women’s race” was held. This type of race, common at company picnics and carnivals of the era, was organized as a spectacle meant to be humorous. The participants, larger women from the community, would compete in a short dash, their participation framed as entertainment for the crowd. These races were presented without malice and accepted as part of a day of festive, uninhibited fun.
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