AMESBURY — Poodle skirts and leather jackets were the popular choice last night as more than 100 children and adults of all ages gathered under cloudy skies at the Al Capp Amphitheatre in the Millyard for the Amesbury Days Sock Hop.
Kaitlin Fairchild, 8, showed up in a pink poodle skirt that her grandmother, Joyce Meekins of Amesbury, found at the Amesbury Days townwide yard sale last weekend.
"I'm a notorious yard-saler, and this was quite a find the week before the Sock Hop," Meekins said.
Kaitlin's outfit, which also included matching pink sneakers and bobby socks, led judges to crown the Kingston, N.H., girl the first queen of Amesbury Days, with 5-year-old Ethan Manclark, clad in a leather jacket, taking honors as king.
Addie Mainville, 12, of Amesbury, also showed up in a pink felt poodle skirt crafted by her father for her first daddy-daughter dance when she was 5 years old. She was able to stretch the elastic waistband to still fit her seven years later.
Other girls donned '50s outfits from daddy-daughter dances in town over the years, complete with saddle shoes and matching scarves. Many of the poodle skirt outfits were handmade by Joanne Bagshaw of the Custard Shoppe in Amesbury.
Dee Tebo, a lifelong resident of Amesbury and former DJ, and her partner, Joseph Hanish, who has lived in Amesbury since 1971, were the first to get up and dance to the '50s songs spun by Sound Wave DJ Dave Frangillo.
Tebo and Hanish have been singing and dancing together for the past 20 years after meeting at Ben's Uniforms in downtown Amesbury. They also led other adults and seniors in line dancing.
The watermelon-eating contest attracted nine young contestants draped in plastic bags to protect their clothing.
The oldest competitor, 13-year-old Gianni Ferraro of Amesbury, was sure he could win, but had to drop out. That opened the door for his 9-year-old cousin, Veronica Ferraro of Amesbury, dressed in a purple poodle skirt, to take the lead and claim victory. Veronica originally didn't think she could possibly beat her older cousin. She won a gift certificate to Maggie Sundae Java & Ice Cream in Amesbury.
Before the contest, 10-year-old Christian Sanders of Amesbury was more confident of his chances, saying "I haven't eaten dinner yet, and I'm starving and I'm a fast eater." But Christian came in second, with fellow Amesbury resident Carter Higgins, 10, finishing third.
Other Amesbury contestants included Clayton LaForte, 10; Spencer Butzer, 8, and King Ethan. Finnegan Sullivan, 7, of Newburyport, and Daniela Beauvois, 9, of Orange, also competed. All of the contestants were given runner-up prizes.
In the adult division of the watermelon-eating contest, Simon Peters of Amesbury took first place with his wife and two small children cheering him on. Shawn Pappas came in second, and Salisbury Council on Aging director Ann Mary Connor finished third.
Children and adults also participated in the bubble gum-blowing contest. Christian Sanders blew the biggest bubble, with Abby Casali coming in second and Christian Saulnier placing third.
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