The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-08-22
JUST HAVE LOTS OF FUN
That Is VIII HaskeIl's Idea of
the Festival.
Have a Gay But Respectable
Time on Friday Night.
''Just One Big Tackey Party # You
PIease''-Roman Cha-ios5 OF hDI
Scrapers, a BurIesque Band
and Chimes are Some of
His ideas.

Will Haskell, who is to have charge
Of the carnival night of the Fall Fes-
tivaI left town last evening to go to
Atchison to visit.
Ten seconds after the Committee of
Fifteen accepted his proposition Thurs
day night HaskelPs brain was work
ing and ten minutes after he had a
good start on the formulation of a plan
or several of them to make Topeka's
visitors double up with laughter on
Friday night of the Fall Festival.
He told a Journal reporter little
about it yesterday before he left.
THE prime idea of a carnival" said
Haskell, lis fun, frolic and a gay time.
Carnival means fun, or if it doesn't it
ought to, for that is all there is to it.
I don't see why Topeka can't have
just as good a carnival as anybody.
There are lots of energetic people here
who ought to and undoubtedly will
take right hold.
In my opinion the best and very
first thing to do is to get the societies
in the city interested.
This idea of calling a meeting is all
right but it shouldn't be called too soon.
Give us a chance to start nucleus.
After three or four of the prominent So
cieties in the city have agreed to take
certain features and carry them out to
success it is then time to call your
meeting and get the other people in
terested- They see how you are get
ting on then and what sort of people
are going in and take right hold
Every float and every feature of this
parade must be gotten up with the idea
of creating the most fun possible. You
don't want anything dry or serious
about a carnival. Put one night into
one grand, side-splitting but respecta-
bic time.
7 tell you this about it to start with,
if this thing isn't run carefully and in
some sort of style it is going to be just
like Major Anderson said last night,
a regular bowling mob
I'VE don't want it that way
1.-The idea of having bands stationed
at regular distances and having dane
ing on the street is a most excellent
one. Everybody should be masked.
You will find then that little social
cliques will come on the street to-
gether. They will keep together, too.
during the evening. They may pass
other cliques they do not know and yell
at them but they will stay together
just as they do at mask ball.
"A carnival should be simply an i'm
mense mask ball anyway. 1t is just
one big tackey party, if you please.
Every costume should be designed
to create mirth.
But it must be understood and en-
forced that this is a thoroughly re-
spectacle gathering even if it is on the
streets. Otherwise you won't get re-
spectacle people out.
1T is to be a night of harmless fun.
There are the Elks, and the Ath-
1etic club and the Turner's, all ought to
faI~ oh Of foo
carnival parade. Then the fraternaI
and other organizations you will find
will drop in, too,
1.-The parade should last from 7:2O to
9 O'Clock and after that let things
loose.
THE police should accompany the
parade as they do any parade, keep the
crowd back and the parade in line.
There are lots of good features that
might be used.
For instance, there is the Midway
The float is a fiat wagon. On it the
tOmtOms, three fellows with legs cross
ed picking mandolins out of tune. in
the middle three men dressed as wo-
men, giving the dance, etc, all of which
if done in burlesque, will be most ludf-
crous.
Another good thing is the burlesque
Roman chariot race.
This is done with four plugs abreast
in front of a wheel scraper' turned
around and driven by a man in Roman
costume in bare arms. There can be
two of these abreast, one to represent
a woman.
Another is the chimes Have a
lot of bells and iron bars on a float
with half dozen fellows playing them
The more discOrd and the more bur-
lesque, the merrier.
"A splendid feature of this will be
John MarshalTs Arabian band It is
easy to fix a 'kazoo' into a big tin horn
The noise a 'kazoo' makes would re-
mind you of the paper and comb. In
the band are two real snare drums
which occasionally will give the band
a start as snare drums do and follow
ing the suspicious start there is no
noise but half a dozen inharmonfous
squeaks.
These are just a few to show you
what it will all be like. I have twenty
ideas as good or better than these
And VIII Haskell is probably right
about it.