The silver lance., 1898-06-24
puEBLo's ANNUAL FESTIVAL.
wealth of Entertainment ExtenoinS
Over Three Days in July

Wealth of Entertainment Extending
Oyer Three Days in July.
Pueblo. the second city in the state
of Colorado as to population, anu lne
greatest smelling center in the couh-
try. takes well-earned pride In its an
nnaI festival known as the Pageant of
States and Nations. Though this Gus
tom is but a year old, the enterprise
ia of such a popular nature that the
entire southern portion of the state
has taken an interest in it, and ROCKY
Ford, Colorado Springs, Denver ana
several other cities will be represent
ed with floats. In Pueblo all the res
idents are organized into clubs OF peo-
pie having the same native state or
country. Thus there are the Pennsyl-
yania club, the Missouri club, the
Germany club, the Italian club and
even the Chinese club. Each club
tries to outdo the other in the grand
eur of its display, and the friendly ri
yalry thus created results in fine eX-
hibits. In addition to the clubs, there
is a central committee well supplied
with funds which looks after the fire
works. music and other special feat
ures.
The dates set for the pageant are
Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, July
3, and 5. During the winter just
ever the Colorado Mineral Palace, the
most wonderful building of its kind,
has been completed, renovated and
surrounded by park. That Will be
the scene of all the indoor features of
the program. The pageant opens Sun
day at 2:3O o'clock in the afternoon
with a sacred concert at the Mineral
Palace, and the national hymns Will
be sung by choruses composed of ma
tives of the several countries, accom-
panied by several large brass bands
and stringed orchestras. For that
evening there will be amusements at
Minnequa lake and other music about
town.
With sunrise Monday opens the real
old d-fashioned Fourth of July, the an
niversary of the day when the liberty
bell, from the belfry of Independence
hall at Philadelphia, proclaimed the
message that the Stars and Stripes
were supreme. With thousands of
men in the field fighting for the honor
of Old Glory it is not strange that the
patriotic citizens of Colorado have a
desire to celebrate the coming ma
tional day with unusual enthusiasm.
A national salute will announce the
day and then the fun begins in real
earnest. First thing on the program
is parade of all the bands, and that
will merge into the Pageant of States
and Nations, which forms at the Min
eral Palace at 9:30 a. m. This event
gives promise of celebration that
will rival the Mardl Gras at New Or
leans or the Festival of Mountain and
Plain at Denver. No more need be
said. Monday afternoon there will be
a display of day fireworks. something
new in the field of pyrotechnics. There
will be fireworks in the evening of
the kind that make the heavens bril-
liant with splendor. and to close the
day n masked dance in front of the
grand stand.
But that will not close the program
for on Tuesday there will be an indus
trial display such as can only be fur
nished by the home of the Bessemer
steel works, the Philadelphia smeltcr.
the Pueblo smelter the Colorado
smelter. the Lannon foundry, the Iron
City foundry and a score of other
plants which work day and night
converting the wealth of the Rocky
mountains into commercial products
With it all there will be music. Tues
day afternoon the MASKED carnival
takes place. That evening the naval
combat will take place on Lake Min
nequa. This lake is three and one
half miles in circumference and has n
depth of thirty feet. An entire fleet
of ships have been built, and explo-
sion of all these at the grand climax
cannot help but remind the spectators
of the Spanish fleet after they met
Admiral Dewey in Manila harbor.
The program closes with dances at
both the lake pavilion and the Mineral
Palace. During the pageant the Ro-
yer Wheel and Athletic Club gives n
state bicycle meet at their track on
Lake avenue.
On account of the immense crowds
assured, the Colorado Passenger AS
sociation has made very low rates to
Pueblo for the celebration