The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-09-25
Carnival at AtchisOn in Honor of the
Great Kansas Cereal.

ATCHISON, Kan, Sept. 24-Music was
one of the principal features of Atchison's
annual corn carnival, which was held here
yesterday. The town was thronged with
thousands of visitors and the streets and
buildings were in gay attire. At Turner
Garden in the afternoon a chorus of 200
voices, accompanied by band of 200 pieces,
rendered 1.-The Gloria from Mozart's
Twelfth Mass, as we'll as other selections
-Four big band stands occupied prominent
street corners, and from these bands PLAYED
almost continuously during the afternoon
and evening.
Several years ago, when Western towns
took up the fall festival idea, Atchison
looked around for something new and
struck upon the idea of giving a corn car
nival. 1t was suggested by E. w. Howe
editor of the Atchison Globe He is fore
most in the management of the carnivals
which accounts for the big musical features
The corn carnival is now to Atchison what
the flower carnival is to Colorado Springs
The prevailing. decoration of the Atchison
aHalr is corn, as the name indicates. and
people who have never attended one of
these carnlValS can scarcely conceive the
many handsome and attractive articles
which can be made of corn in its different
stages OF development. In the big parade
afternoon
many floats in which corn was used almost
exclusively in decorating. One of them
The Fountain of Plenty" threw up a con-
tinual stream of shelled corn There was
also flower feature of the big parade
Fifty of the handsomest turnouts in Atchi-
son were beautifully decorated, but the
parade was almost entirely an exhibition of
artistic corn and flower work 1t was headed
by Marshalls military band, of Topeka, and
the seven other bands were placed at in
tervals throughout
nj 10 CT
ing on the principal streets. 1t differed from
other carnivals only in the matter of corn
throwing. People went upon the crowded
thoroughfares, hundreds in masks, with
their pockets filled with shelled corn, which
they tossed into each others faces in pass
ing. This was kept up until the pavements
were covered with corn, which the continual
tread of thusandS of people ground into
meal. This custom has, in former years
been pronounced a waste, but the day fol-
lowing corn carnival witnesses hundreds
of colored people sweeping up the corn and
carting it away to be used as chicken feed.
Farmers reap a harvest on carnival day
selling shelled corn to the jewellers. They
haul it to town by the WagOnload and dis
pose of it at 10 cents quart. Upon the
occasion of former carnivals the rougher
element carried corn-throwing to dis
agreeable extent. They would grab hand
fuls from the sidewalks and throw it
viciously. Flour was also thrown, as we'll
prohibiting the throwing OF flour, cobs or
corn gathered from the sidewalks, and linn
lieu the people 10 the IOSSluS Oh SnelleQ
corn. Every reveler was provided with a
horn and the noise last night was deafen-
ing. The Atchison Flambeau Club gave an
excellent display of fireworks tonight.
Hundreds of corn costumes We're worn on
the streets during the day. Pretty girls in
capes and bonnetS of corn ShuckS, neatly
designed, were everywhere to be seen. Some
of the corn hats are very pretty. Mrs. II. j.
Cusack, a former Atchison milliner, made
one which attracted such general admira-
ton that it was expressed to Mrs. William
Mckinley wife of the President.