BRADFORD, Pa. — Want some vintage 1980s MC Hammer-style shiny silver pants? How about a pair of maracas? Seven duct-tape creations of mining picks for Snow White’s dwarves?
Oddly enough, it’s all available in one place — the Kiwanis warehouse, where 60 years of Kapers costumes, props and history will be available for sale at Bradford’s townwide garage sales this weekend. Kapers isn’t ending, assured Kiwanis President Dennis Stromberg, it’s just time to clean out the proverbial closet.
“Although we are participating — registered — for the Townwide Garage Sale, we are also having a ‘pre-sale’ day on Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.,” said Jerry Harvey of Kiwanis Club. “Saturday’s sale hours will be 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The warehouse is located in the former Lloyd-Smith Company building on South Kendall Avenue, at the intersection of East Main and South Kendall.”
The selection is astounding.
“There are lots of items, lots of memories,” Harvey said, adding, “stage props — a wide variety; small tables, school chairs, wooden benches, a selection of lumber, a selection of hardware, men’s and women’s clothing — large selection — vintage, collectibles, dress, costumes, men’s & women’s hats and accessories.”
Tuesday afternoon, Kiwanians Harvey, Stromberg, Dean Bauer, Nancy Dryden and Faye Parisella were at the warehouse that houses 60 years of memories. Bradford Little Theatre will get first dibs, Dryden said.
There’s plenty to go around.
“There’s one place that has (holding his hands a few feet apart) that many white tuxedo jackets,” Stromberg said.
Gesturing to a plastic tote, he said, “This is just wigs.”
“This is different from your usual garage sale. You won’t find yourself a second crockpot here. This is where you’re going to find the things you never imagined you needed,” Dryden said.
The clothing room is floor-to-ceiling filled with racks of clothes — dresses, pants, shirts, costumes, jackets, even a Bradford original S.K. Tate fur coat.
“We found a lot of interesting things, treasures,” she said. Who might buy it? “It just needs to be the right person.”
In the back corner, one section is taken up with wedding gowns and evening gowns. Just a few feet away, a blue-and-white checked dress of Dorothy Gale hangs on another rack. Across the back of the room is a wall filled with totes, most of which contain hats of all kinds.
“Lots and lots of hats, every kind of hat you can imagine,” Dryden said, reaching in to pull one out. It was black, with ears on top. “These were Siamese cats.”
Harvey added, “If you remember back to the Kapers, everyone had a hat on.”
Dryden pulled out some dance costumes from the 1950s. “If they are here from the 50s, they are a size 3 or 4. Everyone was smaller back then.”
She held up a child’s nightdress. “This is from the Sound of Music Bedtime Party.”
The Kiwanians have been sorting through the clothes, but it isn’t as easy as one might think.
“You can’t sort some of it. It’s one-off things,” Stromberg said. Maybe some people who have been in Kapers would be interested in looking for something they had worn, or someone might want to see if they can find a parent’s costume from their time on stage.
“There’s lots of memories,” Stromberg said.
Bags of feathers and lace — boas perhaps? — sat next to the clothing racks. A 55-gallon drum held walking sticks, swords and the Seven Dwarves’ mining picks. Racks held objects with peacock feathers, a hula hoop was set off to the side.
“I found a whole bag of black suspenders,” Stromberg said with a laugh. A hat decorated with pheasant feathers caught the interest of the reporter. Stromberg modeled it, right up until it was time for pictures to be taken.
“I’d better take the hat off,” he said.
Bauer indicated it wasn’t necessary: “Anything for a laugh, that’s what Kiwanis Kapers is about.”
And Bauer would certainly know. He’s been in “45 or 46” shows. “I’m a half-a-century Kiwanian,” he said with a smile. “I was a Kutie for probably 20 or 30 shows.”
The Kiwanis Kuties were prominent men from the community who would dress in outlandish and feminine costumes for hilarious and memorable performances.
Dryden and Harvey explained many of the costumes were donated, while still others were handmade.
“What was more common was things were modified,” she said. “I saw those white (men’s dress) shirts and thought we’d give them away. But we’d added ruffles to them.”
Parisella sat quietly, sorting through stacks of items. “My husband and I were in a few shows,” she said, “about 17 years. This brings back a lot of memories.”
Judging by the laughter and light-hearted conversation, those memories were every bit as positive as the Kiwanis Kapers are.
The Kapers will be continuing, with shows at St. Bernard gymnasium/auditorium in a coffeehouse-style setting. There will be tables of eight with light refreshments while local talent brings to life the locally written, directly, produced and acted comedy show. The shows are traditionally held in November.