The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-01-07
IN AND ABOUT THE CITY.
TALKING UP MAY WEEK.
he Committee for the Spring Cele-
bretion Getting 1hin1a in shape.

The Committee for the Spring Cele-
brstion Getting Things in shape.
Merchants May week is beginning to at
tract attention among the merchants. The
holidays are well over and business has re-
sumed its normal condition, and the mer-
chants are ready to listen to anything which
promotes Savannah's interest. The consensus
OF opinion among business men is that the
benefits accruing from festivals similar to
the last May week are felt in many ways
Inc people from other parts Of the state are
brought in contact with the business men of
Savannah, and the people see for themselves
| what their seaport is and what benefits
they may be able to derive from Savannah.
| Tne bulk, indeed nearly all Of the mer-
chandise coming from the east to the inter-
Tor OF this state and Alabama, reaches Sa-
vannah BY TIE OCEAN steamship line Sa-
vannah is Georgia's port, and prides herself
on being able to place Georgia among the
foremost of coast states.
The last May week was success so pro-
| nounced that the merchants of Savannah
said before the week had closed that it
would be repeated in 1890.
Looking to this end the initiative step
was taken few days ago, when the Savan-
nah Branch Of the Southern Travellers
Association appointed general com nittee
OF business mea to make the preliminary
arrangements This committee met at the
associations rooms, and after considerable
| discussion as to the number
OF subcommittee to be appointed,
and a brief outline of the weeks
amusements, q recess was taken until yes
| terday, when the business of che committee
| was taken up az ain. 1t is not certain when
the festival will take place, but most likely
u VIII be the last three days in April and
the first three days in May. 1t was origi-
nalIy intended to open the second week in
| May, but the Atlanta branch will give a
festival then, and it is not the wish of the
Savannah merchants to interfere in any
way with the Atlanta merchants.
One feature of the week contemplated by
the committee. and one that will probably
attract the most attention, is the day set
| apart for the school children. Supt. Baker
said that he will give a holiday the first
week in May. 1t is proposed to have a
grand parade of school children, beginning
at the Chatham academy and ex-
tending out Bull street to either
the De Soto, where lunch will
be served, or on out to the park, where a
prize will be awarded the holder Of GER
tain ticket. Tickets, with numbers, will be
| given to the scholars as they leave the
academy, and one of the tickets will entitle
the holder to 500 prize. There are nearly
| 4,OOO children in the Savannah public
schools, and the parade will be one Of the
largest that Savannah has seen in many a
day.
Another interesting feature of the week
will be the military prize drill. A prize
sufficiently large to induce the Savannah
companies and visiting companies to COM
| pets will be given. 1t has been long time
since Savannah had such an interesting prize
drill as the merchants expect to make the
| coming May week drill.
| rba dc - A.
| possible, and the tickets will be good for
the entire week. An effort will be made to
make the fireworks display exceed anything
which Savannah has ever seen. Twenty
| five thousand dollars will be- required for
carrying out the festival, and the
committee does not apprehend any
difficulty IN raising double that amount if
IL becomes necessary. 1t is expected that
| 5000 people will be here. Every travelling
ma in the states of Georgia, South Caro-
lima, Alabama, and Florida who is a mem
Der of the Southern Travellers Association
will be called upon to talk May week, and
| 1T is expected that no merchant and his
family In four states may be passed without
| being invited
| At yesterdays meeting Of lrhe committee
| officers were elected aud the plans were
talked over. The programme was gone over,
and the new features mapped out will be
| submitted to general meeting of the COM
mittee Thursday night At Thursday
nights meeting representatives from the
city council, cotton exchange, board of
trade and the press are expected to be pres
ent, and complete program will be mapped
| out.
The committee anticipates giving cele-
bration on much larger scale than last
year, and double the number of visitors are
expected to be present. 1t is expected that
the merchants and their friends will be
brought down to Savannah this year under
greater privileges, probably on special
trains. All trades will be represented In
the subcommittees which will be appointed
Thursday night