The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-05-04
MRS. SUTTON IS TIRELESs.
The Public Spirited Lady No Sooner
Arrives Than Work Begins.

If you want to see one of the most
beautiful pageants ever witnessed in
the west be sure to be in Topeka the
day on which the Floral parade of To-
peka's Second Fall Festival is given.
Mrs. c. S. Sutton returned to Topeka
today from Los Angeles, bringing with
her a host of new ideas and pictures
gathered while in attendance at the
most expensive floral display Of this
country, to be used in arranging Tope-
ka's Floral parade this year. THE Los
Angeles Fiesta was arranged at a, cost
of about $50, 000," said Mrs. Sutton to-
day, but for One-sixth this amount I
think wecan have Flower parade in
Topeka which will be in many respects
more beautiful than that of California.
And there is to be no time lost in
preparing for this feature of Topeka's
Festival week. On Friday evening,
May IA, there is to be a ball given at
either Representative or Hamilton hall,
similar to the Charity ball of last win
ter, which will serve both as a close to
the society season in this city and an
opportunity to start fund for the
Flower parade next fall. Mrs. Sutton
arranged for the printing OF the invita-
tons and tickets this afternoon, and
these will be sent out not later than
next Friday evening. The list of the
Charity ball will be used, and the price
of the tickets will be the same.
Mrs. Sutton suggested giving a. ball of
this kind before leaving for California,
and now she is positive that this is the
proper start to make. The musical or
ganizatiOn of this city will be asked
to participate, and will undoubtedly re-
spond as they have always done in the
past in public and charitable enter
prises. The hall in which the ball is
given will be handsomely decorated,
and TOpeka'S society people will with
out question make the event a splendid
success. 1t is estimated that at least
$500 will be secured as the net proceeds
of the ball.
With a fund of $500 to draw on, the
committee of ladies in charge of the
Flower parade can commence prepare
lions at once. I'VE will need all sum-
ner to arrange for the week" said Mrs.
Sutton this morning, land there will be
a great deal of work to do, L am in
favor of organizing a committee of la
dies just as soon as we secure a fund
to work on, and then go ahead with the
preparations.
What ideas did I gather in Lon An
geles?'' continued Mrs. Sutton in an
swer to the inquiry ''Weu, a great
many that 1 think can be carried out
in our Flower parade. don't want any
one to think for a moment that 1 have
an idea of patterning after the Los An
geles Fiesta in our parade, for in the
first place we would never be able to
raise as large an amount of money as
was raised in southern California, but
there are numerous details l saw which
will be of service in arranging our pa
rade. But there was one idea that 1
did get and am heartily in favor of car
rying out, and that is to have a Queen
of the Festival who will participate in
all the features of the week, and also a
Floral Queen for the Flower parade In
my opinion the Floral Queen should be
a little girl, as was the case in Los An
geles.
Festival should be chosen from among the
married ladies of Topeka, and be some
one VINO couId a1ord 10 furnish an elabor-
ate costume for the occasion. Her maid $
of honor could be young ladies. while the
Floral Queen should be a child On the
afternoon of the opening day the Queen
of the Festival could be crowned, the keys
OF the city delivered over to her, and then
let her enter into all of the features or
the week, reviewing the parades and in
truth be the Queen of the Festival.
while thousands of dollars were ex-
pending in decorating floats, carriages and
other vehicles taking part in the parade
in Los Angeles. yet the display was not
half as beautiful from an artistic stand
point rs made in Topeka. last fall The
| floats and carriages had scarcely reached
! the reviewing stand of the Fiesta Queen
before the natural flowers were wilted bv
the heat of the sun, and their beauty
gone. That artificial flowers make a more
beautiful DISPLAY and are far more Dra
fera BILE to natural flowers is the only con-
clusion that one can come to after wit
Messing our parade last fall and the FEES
ia in Los Angeles, and this is why I say
Topeka can Guido Los Angeles in point of
decorations in the parade this year.
Although the wilted flowers detracted
somewhat from the effect, yet the hOa IS
in the Fiesta parade were beautifully
gotten up, and l am more than ever i'm
pressed with the fact that we must have
number of floats in our parade. The il
Eliminated parade at night was one of
the best features of the Fiesta and I
think that flower parade repeated at
night with illuminatiOnS would be one of
the finest features of the Festival week
There is another idea gathered at the
Fiesta which I think can be carried out
with pretty effect in Topeka" continued
Mrs. sutton, the morning of the last
day was devoted to the children and a
long line of little ones paraded with flow
ers. I think Saturday morning of our
week should be devoted to children also.
It made very pretty feature of the week
In Los Angeles. l
be the same here
Mrs Sutton will now busy herself in ar
ranging for the ball to be given on the
evening of May IA. She will ask num-
Der of the society gentlemen of this city
TO aid her selling tickets. The ball win
be strictly a society eevnt, and the so
ciety people of this city should. and un-
doubtedly will, make it a splendid success
by attending.
Give the Topeka ladies a fund to work
on and the summer in which to prepare
and the Flower parade next fall will
eclipse anything of the kind ever attempts
ed In recent years.
And right here the Journal wants to
| ask, will the men of Topeka permit the
women to Outclass them in Fall Festival
features? If the ladies' make the Floral
day a success. the men certainly ought
IN make the other DAYS a success