The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-06-21
AMUSEMENT QUESTION
What President Baker Says
About Park Entertainments
HASN'T the Capital to Take Up
the Matter.
Reason Why the Marsha1I's Band
Concerts are Not Heavily Attend
ed is Because it Costs 90
Cents to Go.

President Baker of the City Street
railway indOrses the plan TO have
park where there can be some amuSe-
ment during the summer evenings.
1T would be an excellent thing" said
President Baker to a Journal reporter.
Topeka surely needs some free places
of amusement during the summer.
Garfield park would be just the place
for nightly concerts, but the park is in
such shape that it cannot well be Sc
cured.
I am only sorry that the railway
company cannot afford to do something,
but confess we are not able to do so.
we tried to do something with Oakland
PARK a few years ago, but it was a dis
maj failure and WAS a yearly expense
to u.s. 1t may be that it was too far
away.
Some time ago while Mr.. Gage was
hVlng, Mr.. Gage, Mr.. Patten and look
ed over the lower portion of Auburn
dale with a view to making it into a
park for summer amusement The road
was in good shape then, but the plan
was finally given up, and we could not
now do what we planned then.
II the basis of the attendance at
MarShalPS band concerts is taken,
summer concerts would not pay the
road. The attendance at Garfield park
during these concerts will not average
over 1900. Many go in carria ges, while
others walk from North Topeka, so
that we do not carry over 500 people to
and from the concerts. On that basis
we could not afford to hire MarshalPS
band to give free concerts.
There is probably some way in which
the summer night concerts might be
made to pay, but we are in such shape
that we could not fit up a park and hire
a band to make a trial. 1 hope that
something in that line can be done,
however, and I would help the project
as much as I could
ar-Hr IL che - L. -
pay the street railway company for
the trouble and expense of keeping it
up.
In Kansas City there are several
parks, all kept up and run by the street
railways. They would not be kept open
if they did not pay.
The public is anxious to be entertain
ed in Topeka as it is elsewhere, and the
right kind of enterprise would give the
people that amusement. They would
not expect TO see things on such an
Ella bCTate scale as in Chicago or St
Louis, but there could be a convenient
park open to every one and free con-
certs with entertainments that need
cost very little to the management. The
main idea of a park of this kind is that
it be a resort that is a place where
a great many go for recrea ton. 1t is
the fact that there will be "a crowd
there that brings most people to an
evening park entertainment more than
the entertainment.
The fact that the street car company
only hauls 500 people to MarshalPs band
concerts is no indication of the crowds
that would go to a park in the evening
if the admission were free and it were
open every evening with some kind OF
entertainment
It is safe to say the street cars would
carry from ], 500 to 1000 every night and
twice as many on special occasions. Ev-
erybOdy remembers when the attend
ance at MarshalPs band concerts used
to be from 5000 to 5000.
The question of summer amusement
reViveS the Improvement of the city
park The old Sherman house in the
be moved away, and the park will be
filled to the street level during the sum-
mer by the street force. The ground
from sidewalk excavations will be used
for that purpose.
There is already a band stand in the
city park, and by the expenditure of
some money the park might be made
an attraction instead of an eye sore-A E
ter the park is improved it would pe
a suitable place for sumemr concerts
or some other form OF amusement eV-
cry evening.
The trees are already there, and with
grass seats and a little system in lay
ing out the grounds the park would be
an excellent place for the man with an
evening hour at his disposal
Edward Wilder'S plan of extending
the city park two or three miles up the
river has not been given up. Mr.. Wilder
is still thinking about it, and when he
has an opportunity always urges such
an extension. Some day the people of
Topeka will awaken to the necessity OF
a CITY park and then we may expect to
see a park three miles long following
the river with beautiful shady walks
and drives