The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1886-05-29
THE BOAT CLUB RECEPTION.
n Very Pleasant Entertainment and Larg Z
Attendance.--The Clifton House
deliberately Decorated for
he

| ElaDOrately Decorated for
| the Occasion.
| The Ottawa Boat Club bids fair to be quite
feature in the society and sporting affairs
of this city. The organization is now year
old and has membership Of twenty four
young men who propose making boating q
distinctive feature of the summers enjoy
ment. They are L. H. Strawn, f. c. Swift.
7. L. MacKinlay, C. Griggs, I. J. Lynch, r.
c. Hit, Geo NJ, Trimble, C. L. Hook, Loren
20 Leland, W, W. Nash, A. F. Schoch Ed. C.
Alien, jr., Chas Neubert, James. II Eckels,
S. r. Blanchard, +. E. Mayo, W. W. Taylor
F.V. Hobert, II. NJ. Kilby, Horace Hull, NJ.
b. Mitchell, E. V. Johnson, Jas Milligap,
jr., Lewis Hess.
The officers of the Club are Lester H.
Strawn, president E. C. Swift, vice presi-
dent; R. C. Hit, secretary; c. E. II ook, treas
urer; Thomas E. MacKinlay, captain; Geo.
N. Trimble, commander, Fred. E. Mayo, 1t.
commander, W. W. Nash, ensign.
few weeks since the Club completed the
building Of its boat house on the south bank
of the Illinois river near the approach to
the bridge, and are now in position to COM
mand the support and the good will of the
citizens of Ottawa. The boat house, while
not an elaborate one, is we'll made and has
all the facilities for properly caring for the
boats which the Club now own, and for any
they may hereafter purchase.
~.
Having completed the building of the boat
house and transferred the boats to it, the
members of the Club concluded to inaugur-
ate the event by reception, which was held
at the Clifton Hotel Oh Thursday evening,
and which in every point Of view was as
elaborate and elegant social event as ever
transpired in the city. To it $50 Invitations
were issued to residents of Ottawa, Strestor,
La Sale, Peru, Morris, Joliet, Marseilles,
Yorkville, Aurora ssl Princeton. A special
effort was made to make the parlors and the
dining room of the Clifton appear attractive,
and the floral and other decorations were
not only artistic but elaborate as we'll A
committee of young ladies consisting of Miss
Eliza Porter, Mrs. L. H. Strawn, Mrs. Lo-
reno Leland, Mrs. W. ". Nash, Mrs. Chas.
Nsubert, Mrs. ". W. Taylor and Mise. Jes-
sic Porter, Florence Nash, Elsie Trimble,
Annie Hathaway, Olive Harrison and Sarah
Fiske took the matter in charge, and by ex-
cessive hard work made the rooms set apart
for the reception very beautiful The first
thing in the way of decoration to be seen en-
entering the hotel at the ladies entrance was
an arch of evergreen from which hung, sus-
pended by blue and orange ribbons, large
birch bark canoe filled and twined with
smilax. The decorations of the parlors were
particularly elaborate. On either side Of the
archway about the folding doors were hung
ropes of evergreen, while between the doors
was suspended boat six feet long Of peonies
and syringas, bearing upon the one side IN
letters of bright scarlet geranium the initials
80. B. c." and on the other, in similar
letters, the date-May q. About the large
mirrors ct either end of the parlOrs were
hung ropes of evergreen, while on the man
tie in the rear parlor rested bank of solid
red peonies, the CRATE below being filled with
evergreen. About the mirror in the front
parlor was placed very large horseshoe of
orange blue and white flowers, and just be-
low it, resting upon the glass and suspended
from either side by orange and blue ribbons,
was smaller horse shoe Of red and white
flowers. The side steam radiators were
covered with draping, of evergreen, and
upon the marbletops were placed pot flowers
in fall bloom. To the lambrequins in the rear
parlor were attached the letters 30. 3. c.
worked in white syrhgas.
In these parlOrs the reception was held,
the guests being received by Mr.. and Mrs.
IL. II. Strawn, Mr. and Mrs. Lorenzo Leland,
Mr.. and Mrs. W. W. Taylor, Miss Fannie
Reed, Miss Edith Morgan, Mr.. 7. E. Mac
Kinlay and Mr.. James II. Eckels. At $50
o clock the reception ended, and, upon Will
lis orchestra striking up march, the COM
pany moved TO the dining room, which had