River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1896-08-06

Whatever else the bicycle carnival
may have been il WAS certainly very
nrattv nicture and a festival of music.
Tho the races. and the parade as
we'll were a triile Disappointing be-
cause of the lack Of definite Organlza-
tion the sight of the track and the
house of carnival just at nightfall was
altopether refreshing. More than
that, and better, the people IN attend
ance from the town and the nelgll-
boring farms made the social what IL
was-a most democratic and livery en-
tertainment. -:-;.., ,,.ono
The people then, the visitors, were
a factor i'm the evening success. NOT
because they took any active part IN
I,aInino the entertainment along It's
torT serene way, on the contrary tney
ala little enough of what was
raallv expected of them: but simply
hacause they we've there-there TO be
taIIsed To. plaved to, and sung TO, and
ELY ~ 10 fed. For with the eX-
tandad nrogram of entertainment
t6af was prOvide6. and the excellence
o1-,'ected there would have been little
onp,,sb insDiratiOn for the performers
,ritIout such a crowd for audience,
zen thot.gh. from laZiness or lack
az attention. that same crowd
failed 10 TO show its appreciation by
even moderate applause. a..
Tba races were picturesque In the
oxtrame and though very few people
were 81 fortunate as 10 get more imam
\ vanisbing glimpse Of the wheelmen
.I,a,. Sned around the torcll-lit track,
-, on-iooker enjoyed what he saw
;,',nenSeIy and claimed TO have seen
~, ~ modest feature of the events. In
-, tirst race Severt johnson came In
tIo victor. while John Nelson carried
nj me honors in the second test
'rIa program, which gave the carnival
IT, jis.inctiye quality OF elegance, ana
IaaiSone 10 the conviction that our social
AFFAIRS are decidedly not ON the Mahe,
vas happily introduced oy an a9u re-.
Inv Judge Weld. II was rellaLNeu 'ua'
-. - -. ~ the band throughout the
,l.,,,-,,,, was exceptionally good. There
,,ss sonlathiug about the airs, perhaps
-, sornething about the scene, that re-
,,i,,Ja5 ms of the DAYS when our band
doe about OF summer evenings an a
',Ier;,,,s old hand wagon dragged Oy iour
Sc-sas and when they held open-air
'lS,,,o-.s on The site of the Congregational
of,..-ob And these old days came up IN
.,o.,,'-,, with the music Of last night ana
rao,;nded us of how heroic they used 10
seem 10 our bOyish faneieS we We're al
boys then: and we're all quietly wish WISH,
inc for the day when the band sha!l
again take the initiative IN opeh-air
The The piano music and the songs
wera uniformly appreciated, and
The racitations we're delightfully."- apropos.
Perhaps the quartet music was most
thoroughly enjoyed and deserVedly so,
~, Soiees were clear and far reaching
and the melodies charmingly appropriate.
To those who listened from carriages OF
from the torches of the nelgnooIlnig
houses o This kind of music was nee lariIy
engaging. The songs tiOated out Oh ihe
| ,iimmerins dusk with apparently notnlng
- ,,royoke them but the flaming torsnes
and the tossing bOnnets, and the eHee'
,,-sss mrarvelously beautiful.
ON the whole the affair was I'M
menselv fascinating, and the pans
of the management and of the per-
formers deserved rather a better re-
ward than the S25 of proceeds. ihe
uratit,lde of those who witnessed
The entertainment IS also due to Mr.
Frank Thayer, who opened ms
home for the uses of the carnival.