ot topethor. vents like the basket social gave them a motivation for 
     
     making the long trip, and: provided them with an evening of entertainment 
     
     as well as an opportunity for socializing. 
     
    

    
     Women and girls brought gaily decorated baskets containing sandwiches, 
     
     pie, cake, and tea. These were put up for auction, to be bid for by the 
     
     husbands of the married ladies, the boy-friends of the Single girls, and 
     
     by the audience in general. The role of auctioneer was usually filled by 
     
     P.J.Berrigan of New Haven -- a very highly-regarded member of the com- 
     
     munity who was always successful in securing substantial returns for the 
     
     items offered. 
     
    

    
     Each girl put a bit of ribbon on her basket so that her admirer could 
     
     readily identify it. At every social, there was a group of young fellows 
     
     who would "bid up” a girl's basket -- without the slightest intention of 
     
     buying it. Their purpose, of course, was to make the legitimate bidder 
     
     pay a high price. The result was that many a young man found himself 
     
     forced to pay twice as much #5 he had expected for the privilege of sitting 
     
     down with his girl to enjoy the lunch. Failure of a swain to purchase his 
     
     lady's basket carried a certain stigma, and sometimes even brought a 
     
     budding romance to an end. Occasionally, too, the heckler bidder had the 
     
     tables turned upon him, when the boy~friend abruptly stopped bidding -- 
     
     "dropped the basket on him," as it was called. Very seldom did the heckler 
     
     have the funds necessary to meet the bid, and so had to endure the 
     
     embarrassment of publicly admitting the fact. 
     
    

    
     For many years, the entertginment at the basket social was limited to 
     
     a few songs, instrumental selections, and a declamation or two, followed 
     
     by the sale of baskets. Attempts were frequently made to introduce 
     
     dancing, but all were sternly rebuffed. However, time and community : 
     
     pressure eventually mellowed the rock-ribbed puritanism of the church 
     
    
   
   
    
     authorities. The first sign of relenting came when permission was granted