The San Francisco call., 1896-08-10
Goodwater Grove the Gathering
Place for Hundreds of
Enthusiasts.
DANCE UNDER SPREADING OAKS
Fair Members of the Bloomer Brigade
Lead an Imposing Pro-
cession.

STOCKTON, CAL, Aug 9.-The water
melon run OF the Terminal City Wheel
men was great success. Every prepsra-
tion had been made to give the visiting
cyclers a good time. That they had one
there can be no doubt, judging from their
words of praise. The morning boats
brought hundreds of wheelmen from all
the bay towns. Few clubs were not repre-
sented, and there have never been so
many wheelmen in Stockton at one time
before. The streets were crowded with
the visiting cycIers tonight, and they
made merry until late hour, parading
the streets, sounding their club yells and
with their colors flying.
For weeks past the committee having
charge of the run has been hard at work
perfecting its arrangements. IL has had
the assistance of all the clubs members
and of the other local organizations, both
in the actual labor OF arranging for the
affair and in the preliminary runs held for
the purpose of advertising it. The Ter
minal City Wheelmen were confident of
success, because they had received so
many assurances from members of out
side clubs all over the State that they
would participate in the outing. Their
expectations were more than realized. for
when the procession of wheelmen formed
this morning it was nearly eight blocks
long.
The Sixth Regiment band had been en-
gagged, and at an early hour began to play
in front CT the clubrooms of the Terminal
City Wheelmen, on Suffer street. Here
the local men kept open house all day and
entertained those who made trips into
town from the grove.
When the procession had formed it pro-
ceeded through the principal streets OF
the city, greeting the citizens at all times
with club yells and cries and the univer-
sal cry of the long line of wheelmen:
Keep a-singin',
Keep a-yellin'-
Watermelon,
Watermelon
Out to Goodwater Grove this long string
of wheelmen went, g corps of lady cyclers
leading the van. Hundreds of unattached
wheelmen, with their wives and sweet
hearts, joined the parade, and at every
crossing the length OF the procession was
increased. Many had their wheels hand
somely decorated, and the long line of
Wu6elm0n anu lair Cy yClcIS pISSeutSu q Oe-
cidedly pretty appearance.
As the grove was reached each club gave
its yell as the riders belonging to it passed
under the gates and sought the cooling
shade of the great oaks that cover the
grounds about the clubhouse and dancing
pavilion. Each club secured favorite
tree and stacked its wheels at the foot of
it. Then all went in for jollity and that
element of pleasure held sway for the rest
of the day. The band began to play for
the dancers long before the noon hour,
and even the great watermelon feast could
hardly lure some of the wheelmen from
the dance hall.
A lunch was served during the after
noon and at o'clock the great pile of
watermelons were placed before the
throng that was hungry for the luscious
red fruit from Lodps soil. All last night
and early this morning the growers OF
watermelons could be seen driving into
town with their wagons well filled with
ripe melons, so there was no lack of an
adequate supply to-day when visitors and
StocktoDians fell to demolishing the fruit.
When the feast was over dancing was once
more engaged in.
The grove presented a pleasing sight
this morning when the procession OF
wheelmen entered the gates and stood
grouped about under the trees.