Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1892-07-08
IN THE LOCAL FIELD.
BELLOWS FALLS.
OUR NATIONAL HOLIDAY.

The Celebration was the Most Successful
Ever Held in Town, and 5000 TO 1000
People witnessed the Sports.
The celebration of the Fourth on Mon
day was one of the most pronounced sue
cesses of any event of the kind ever held
in town. The committee having it in
charge are to be congratulated. Our citi-
zens subscribed literally to the necessary
fund.- and with cash enough at disposal,
iudiciously applied, every thing went
smoothly throughout the day. 1t was es-
timated that the number of people in town
during the day aside from our own citizens
must have been over 5000, making with
our own population, an immense crowd
to enjoy the sports. Extra trains were run
by the different roads At once after mid
night the whole village was awakened by
the ringing of every church and school bell,
interspersed with all other conceivable
methods of noise, kept up till daylight,
when the sunrise salute by gun from the
Fuller Battery, manned by three members
of that organization, awoke the mountain
echoes with its forty-four stories of the
present union.
AT 0:30 the parade of horribles was
formed at the north end of Rockingham
most motley crew that ever set out upon a
similar march through any village in the
state. About 17j different entries had
been made, prizes being offered for the
best ''get ups A detailed description
would be impossible, it being of the char
acter which "must be seen to be appreciat-
ed" Many local hits were made which
convulsed the crowds, among which was
the shamrock Hose company" consisting
of full company of boys of tender age
dressed as girls, and drawing cart which
certainly was worthy of the occasion. The
Bellows Falls band headed the procession
and furnished good music during the day
and evening, but its counterpart in the
procession under the leadership of ID. w.
Linton as drum major had many good
notices as to its lack of support, its free
music given, etc, and this was awarded
first prize of SIS by the judges. a repre-
sentation of our passenger depot on wheels,
appropriately inscribed, and of about as
large size as could be drawn by its team,
designed by the "Times' office, took sec
ond money of SIS. A monster ostrich or
some other large bird, represented by F. g.
Flint, drew SO, and representation of an
immense baby in carriage was awarded 50.
The new organization of the Rockingham
Boat club. represented by a boat with kerr
osene barrel wheels, so arranged as to imi-
tate the cOntortiOns of a boat in heavy sea,
fully manned, and named isabella after
Blakely's boat on the river, spilled its oc-
cupants out at convenient seasons along
the march. The Hook IL Ladder company
was well taken off, also President Harri-
sons family equipage and baby Ruth
as well. The procession was nearly mile
long and went through all the principal
streets of the village. Private residences
and places of business along the line of
march were very generally decorated, the
display of national colors and bunting
being larger than ever seen here, nearly
every building having more or less, people
vieing to make the most creditable show
ing. In the afternoon the crowd gathered
at the north end of Rockingham street,
near Mr.. Morgan's, where grand stand
had been erected which would hold 1900
people, every space on it being taken and
enough other space occupied by the tired
ones who had to stand, so the number of
people was variOusly estimated at from
5000 to 5000 who watched the sports.
After the reading of the Declaration of
Independence the whole afternoon was
taken up with interesting sports, games,
ETC., and in the evening grand display of
fireworks closed the day. In 1876 our last
general celebration was held here and
many who remembered the success of that
time were in doubt as to our ability to eX-
coed it this time, but all agreed that it was
done, all passing off successfully and
without unpleasant occurrences so frequent
at such times.