Week of Festivity; Ralph Hemingray on industrial parade committee

WEEK OF FESTIVITY

Details of the Big Elks' Carnival and

Exposition.

THOUSANDS OF VISITORS

The Charitable Societies of the City Will

be Benefited by the Attraction.

Some Features

The Muncie Street Carnival Art and Industrial Exposition, which will be held from June fifth to tenth inclusive, promises to be one of the grandest events ever given in this state. The executive committee which was appointed by the lodge of Elks some nine weeks ago have been almost continually at work in arranging the details of this great undertaking. At first the committee had intended to give a street fair, such as had been given in most of the cities in this state and elsewhere, but after investigating the different methods of conducting street fairs they themselves concluded to adopt and introduce something entirely new in this section of the country. There has never been anything of this nature given further west than Canton, Ohio.

This entertainment will be as far ahead of the ordinary street fairs as day is of night. In this exposition there will be displays of art, and entertainments of the very highest and best quality. The organization that the committee has contracted with is one of the best ever gotten together to give entertainments. They carry with them over 100 people, together with camels, elephants, donkeys and freaks. The entertainment given at Canton, Ohio, last fall was so successful that the people of that city are anxious and have secured the return of another like entertainment sometime this fall. This in itself will be a grand show.

It is expected to have a merchants' and manufacturers' display that will eclipse anything ever given or undertaken in Indiana. Local manufacturers and merchants are all thoroughly aroused and are anxious and will make such displays that will be not only a credit to themselves, but to the city of Muncie and to Indiana.

Owing to the hard work and hustling qualities of the members of the executive committee, they being only desirous of outdoing any other entertainment of the same nature, they have decided to hold in connection with this a band contes [sic] contest that will at least swell the crowd in our city 25,000 to 30,000 more. They hope to go to the surrounding towns, employ a band for a certain day during the week and by that means have the band to work up a further enthusiasm in its town that will bring out an extra large crowd. At the same time the bands will be given a per cent of the railroad tickets sold and will have the opportunity to compete for the prizes which will be offered. After the committee had made all of these arrangements it saw where it could further advance and enlarge the week's entertainment. The lodge of Elks of Ohio and several other states have adopted the plan of holding annual state meetings, and they have been very successful not only for the social features, but for the betterment and advancement of the order.

The chairman and secretary of the executive committee, after visiting several lodges and having it intimated by some of the lodges in our surrounding cities that it might be possible that a state meeting could be held in connection with this carnival, went to work to secure, if possible, the first state meeting of the lodge of Elks in this state. They have communicated with every lodge in Indiana, asking their opinion as to whether they favor a state meeting and whether they would be willing to hold their state meeting here at that time. At this writing their [sic] there have been replies from over one-half of the lodges in the state, and they are heartily in favor of a state meeting and believe it would be a grand thing for the lodge to hold state meetings. Inasmuch as the Muncie lodge has undertaken this carnival, it would be well and very appropriate to have the first state meeting in connection with the carnival.

Knowing that there was a possibility of holding a state meeting in connection with the exposition, the committee set out to get reduced railroad rates. They visited Cincinnati and Indianapolis and consulted the Big Four and L.E.&W. officials, and now have a one and one-half cent rate on all the roads in Indiana, and are hopeful of getting a still better rate of one center per mile on all roads within a radius of from fifty to seventy-five miles from Muncie.

The committee already has the promise of the Grand Exalted Ruler of the order of Elks and other high officials in the order. They now are in communication with the governor of this state and hope to have them both present at the opening of our carnival.

Another feature of this entertainment is that the whole of the refreshment privileges are to be given to the charitable organizations of our city. This, of course, can be made one of the best features, for already the women are talking and are anxious to know more about the coming street carnival.

Mr. Ritter says that at Canton the refreshment privileges were given to a charitable hospital of that city and the net profit was $738.00 This will give the women of the city an idea as to what this means, especially since the Elks are going to have a band contest and the state meeting of the Elks, which will greatly increase the attendance.

The committee expects to keep up a weekly correspondence with every city in the state and especially where there are Elks' lodges existing, within the next month or six weeks it expects to pay a personal visit to every lodge in Indiana and to extend to them all a cordial invitation to be here during that week. The business to be transacted by the lodge will be to decide on the date and the next place of meeting and the probably selection of a state committee.

It is expected that all citizens will interest themselves and assist in making this one of the grandest demonstrations in Indiana. This meeting no doubt will be the means of bringing to the city more strangers than ever were here before. The only obstacle that confronts the committee at this time is the accommodation for visitors and it will no doubt be necessary to establish an information bureau where the citizens who have sleeping rooms can leave their number and street, where strangers can be sent. The committee is starting in time and working to make every feature a grand success, but they fully realize that without the hearty co-operation of every organization and every citizen of Muncie it cannot be a success. Below, by permission of the executive committee, is given a list of the different committees appointed:

LIST OF COMMITTEES.

Executive committee: J.KI. Ritter, chairman; F.. Wachtell, secretary; P.P. Busch, Treasurer; C.E. Russey, W.R. Youse.

Industrial parade committee: Frank T. Reed, Ralph H. Hemingray, Burt H. Whiteley, R.T. Winters, Carl A. Spilker, John J. Dow.

Lighting, enclosures and illuminating committee: P.P. Bush, Quince Walling, John F. Kennedy.

Advertising committee: C.e. Russey, c.M. Rich, J.O. Sawyer, Elmer. J. Whitely, W.L. Holmes.

Program committee: W.R. Youse, Lee M. Glass, Harry F. Dungan, George Klein, W.W. Trullender.

Financial soliciting committee: C.L. Bender, J.C. Griesheimer, Geo. P. Davis, W.E.H. March, Ed. Tuhey.

Musical contest committee: Alfred Damm, Jacob Vogt, wm. H. Sumption, Everett Moffitt, D.P. Campbell.

Booth Committee: Chas. Emerson, Geo. H. Searoy, Henry J. Keller, Ol F. Raymond, Frank O. Gill.

Special features committee: Chas Baldwin, .H. Highlands, Wm. M. Patterson, Harry A. Cates, C.F. Heckenbauer.

German village committee: Eli Hoover, Chas. O. Sawyer, Isaac Humphrey, W.H. Gill, J.C. Gray.

Ticket committee: Lee M. Glass, Ol F. Raymond, D. Vol Bowers, J.G. Thomas, J.C. Abbott.

Entertainment committee: Geo. W. Cromer, Henry L. Hopping, John L. Smith, A.K. Smith, C.E. Shipley.

Reception committee:   W.L. Holmes, C.H. Anthony, Homer Bowles, David Cammack, Max C. Pitsner, John W. Cherry, Geo. B. Fletcher, L.S. Ganter, R.R. Georgia, A.H. Hamilton, J.R. Johnson, Jas.L. Jones, S.F. Kiser, G.W. Love, W.F. Maggs, H.P. Marsh, Frank Miller, D.L. Moreland, J.C. O'Harra, Henry O'Mears, J.A. Parkinson, Bert Powers, N.W. Ramsey, W.G. Scott, C.c. Schauffleberger, W.H. Williams, R.W. Williams, G.G. Williamson, C.A. Winters, Tom Wirt, Lewis Over, Chas. Woodruff, H.R. Wysor, H.M. Winans, J.N. Evers, H. C. Klein, J. Rus Smith, Geo. F. McCulloch.

Charles street from High westward to the old mound will be used for the carnival. At night it will be a base of electric lights. Many thousands are to be used up and down the street for decorating purposes.