From the May 26, 1921 Skidmore News (Skidmore, Missouri), page 1:
Birthday Dinner for Mrs. Clark.
A surprise dinner was given for Mrs. Ed Clark at the Clark home east of town last Sunday. The following report was written by one of the guests:Sunday, May 22, the neighbors and friends of Mrs. Ed Clark thought that she had forgotten that it was her 60th birthday, and that they would remind her and Mr. Clark of the fact. So accordingly everyone prepared a well-filled basket with the good things that only farmers’ wives can prepare and hied themselves to the home of Mr. and Mrs. Clark.
Mr. Clark had “smelled a mouse” by the strange way that some of the neighbors acted by calling and saying that they would be in to spend the evening with them, but he never said a word to Mrs. Clark, who was really and truly surprised. Never-the-less, all were made welcome and all hands got busy and unpacked the baskets of good things, which were served on tables on the lawn. Every one did justice to the splendid dinner but Mr. Clark and J. R. Bagby, who felt a little bashful.
Those present were: Mr. and Mrs. J. R. Bagby; Mr. and Mrs. Perl Hays; Mr. and Mrs. Walter Iddings; Mrs. Noffsinger; Mr. and Mrs. Walter McGinnis and daughter, Leora; Mr. and Mrs. J. J. Hughes and daughters, Edna and Mabel; Mr. and Mrs. Roe Lowrance and children, Reed and Ruey; Mr. and Mrs. Walter Strickler and daughter, Geraldine; Mrs. Susan Tracy; Mr. and Mrs. James Parshall; Mr. and Mrs. Milt Duffey; Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Cottrell; Mrs. Ed Lowrance and son, Mark; Mr. and Mrs. Jess Winger and children, Dorothy, Opal, Lois, and Wayne; Mrs. D. B. Linville; Mr. and Mrs. Everett Cook and children, Ruth and Pauline; Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Shull; Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Walton and children, Lois and Morris; Mr. and Mrs. John Lowrance; Harvey and Leland Linville; Hattie and Rinda Linville; Gladys Neuffer; Maggie Lowrance; Marvin and Dillard Lowrance; Mr. and Mrs. Ed Clark and Mrs. Clark’s sister, Mrs. Ella Welling of Monte Vista, Colo.
Everyone present spent a most enjoyable day and wished Mrs. Clark many more such birthdays.
The Union Valley correspondent also had something to say about the affair, as we see on page 5:
Mr. and Mrs. Ed Clark were not surprised last Sunday at the neighbors and friends who were there intended they should be, but were very much pleased that so many people remembered Mrs. Clark’s sixty-first birthday in such kindly fashion. From about eleven o’clock until twelve the baskets of good things to eat came in a stream. Some of the men brought the Farmers Union tables and soon a sumptuous dinner was placed thereon. Everyone ate all they wanted, and some, more than they needed, and had plenty left for supper.