Neighborhood parties were a popular means of entertainment in the early days. They varied from dances with local talent furnishing the music, card parties, ice cream socials, to just plain getting together to visit.
Mrs. H.O. Berg tells this story:
"The neighborhood parties were the main fun we had in the winter time: Mother would bake a cake, fix sandwiches, or make a salad, to take for the potluck lunch we had at midnight. Dad would put fresh straw in the bottom of the bobsled, and we took heated flat irons heated on the kitchen range to keep our feet warm, and then we wrapped ourselves in horsehide robes. The whole family went‑ there were no such things as babysitters in those days, the family all had fun together, and when the babies and younger children went to sleep, they were piled on the beds along with the guests wraps. I remember how hard it was for me to stay awake until the wee hours of the morning. Our horses always had sleigh bells on, and sometimes we kids would run along back of the sled or ride the runners. I remember one fiddler who played for our country parties was a redheaded fellow, named Ralph Halaas, and when he got tired of playing he would always break a fiddle string, and that broke up the party. The men who did not dance, such as my father, played whist in the kitchen."
Source: A History of Foster County 1983 Page 437