One Montana miner said: "Many's the miner who'd never wash his face or comb his hair, if it wasn't for thinkin' of the sportin' girls he might meet in the saloon."1 The Bale of Hay Saloon "Oldest Watering Hole in the State of the Montana” in Virginia City, MT will present a tribute to these working women, both Prostitutes and Hurdy-Gurdy Girls on June 20 and 21, 2015.
Author Janet Kay will do a reading and book signing for her novel, AMELIA 1868, at 12:30pm Saturday, June 20th. Her intriguing historical novel is set in the western ghost town of Virginia City, Montana. It flashes back and forth in time between the life of a hurdy-gurdy dance hall girl struggling to survive in the 1860’s and that of an Iowa farm girl. Excellent reviews! Check out her website at http://www.novelsby janetkay.com Saturday at 1pm Leona Stredwick will present: history of prostitution, brothels and madams in gold rush camps and Montana. She will also uncover Hollywood myths about prostitution.
Bed races will commence at 4pm on Saturday, each team must have a person dressed in "proper attire" on the bed and race up the street against another team. Get your five person teams together and join the fun, prizes for best team name and fastest bed!
Lace up your corsets and put on your finest for the costume party at 9:30pm on Saturday June 20th. We are having a dance in honor of the hurdy-gurdy houses and hurdy-gurdy girls or hurdies as they were known. Hurdy-gurdy houses, as described by Seagraves, "had a bar on one side and dance floor on the other as well as a hallway with several small rooms in the rear. These rooms were rented to the customers who wanted more than a dance, and to the hurdy-gurdy girls who chose to entertain a man after, or during working hours. Not all of these girls were prostitutes; most earned a good salary from dancing and serving drinks." The dancing itself was free, but the customer was required to pay a dollar for a drink for himself and his partner after each dance. For this event, you can dress as a hurdy-gurdy girl or more risqué as a “working girl”. Buying a drink for yourself and your partner is optional! and there will be prizes for best dressed participants.
Playing for the costume party on Saturday June 20th is Sam Platts and the Kootenai Three from Coeur d’Alene, ID. “Coeur d’Alene’s Sam Platts and the Kootenai Three don’t give a honk or a toot about fitting into office background soundtracks. They play traditional country music anchored by Platt’s steel guitar and baritone voice. The group’s sound is reminiscent of longtime Texas troubadour Dale Watson” says Jason McMackin of the Missoula Independent. Sam and the group are looking forward to playing at the Bale of Hay Saloon, Virginia City Montana for Brothel Days on Saturday, June 20th, 2015.
Don’t miss Sunday, we have more fun and informative events! Join us at high noon for a very risqué fashion show. We will show all the layers of a proper Victorian Lady from the bloomers up to her hat and gloves! all with narration explaining each piece. Author Janet Kay will host another book reading and signing of her historical novel AMELIA 1868 at 12:30pm and at 1pm Ellen Baumler will present the lecture “Montana and the Landscape of Prostitution”. Prostitution was big business in western towns and mining camps, but the subject is difficult to trace and shrouded in myth. Historian and author Ellen Baumler sorts out the hidden history of this compelling subject with a look at the real evidence and the architectural remnants that survive in Virginia City and across the state.
http://www.baleofhaysaloon.com/