The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1900-08-23
SUSSEX FARMERS
Turn Out in Force to Attend
the Annual Picnic at
Deckertown.
ALL SPEAKERS DEMOCRATS
They Were Asked to Be Easy
on the Republicans
Present.
[special q "The jersey city News.nl

j
DECKERTOWN, Aug. %, 190O-The
ninth annual picnic of Vantage Grange
No. 7S Patrons of Husbandry, was held
at Wilson's Grove here yesterday and in
spite of the threatening weather of the
morning crowd of about 10000 people
had gathered by the time the festivities
had reached their height.
The picnic is the big gathering of the
summer for Sussex County, for the farm
ers and for any one who is able to be
present. They come from all over the
county and from beyond its borders In all
sort of conveyances, from new and fash
ionable rigs to farm wagons and hay
racks filled with straw. The amusements
of the day, in addition to those found in
meeting ones friends and patronizing the
booths of the fakirs which are attracted
to the spot, consisted of a concert by the
Union Citizens Band, combination of
Branchville and Lafayette musicians un-
der the direction of Sherman Rockefeller,
of Branchville
Ihe two speakers in the printed pro-
gramme of the day were both Democratic
as is natural in a Democratic stronghold
like Sussex County. but they had been
asked by the committee to refrain from
any cruel laceration of the feelings of
Republicans who might be present, and
though they argued in favor of their
standard bearer for the campaign of 1900,
| they made an earnest effort to be fair
The grange is an non-political body. The
speakers We're Simon P. Northrup, of
Passaic. and Archibald E. Mcbride. of
Vantage. Mr.. Northrup took Imperial
| ism for his topic, and Mr. Mcbride, who
is candidate for the Democratic nomi-
nation for Assemblyman in Sussex
County, spoke on True Citizenship
G. Meyer Zulick, former Governor of
Arizona and a veteran on the stump in
New Jersey, was not announced upon the
programme, but had been assigned to the
picnic by the Democratic State Commit
tee, the first assignment of the season to
appear late in the afternoon
The crowd began to arrive at the grove
as early as 10 o'clock, when the band
was scheduled to be on hand. The long
string of carriages wound down the hill
and over the pleasant meadow through
which the road to the grove runs. From
that hour until well into the afternoon
public conveyances piled without stopping
over the mile and half of dusty road
| that separates the town from the grove
and the early trains, stopping near the
picnic place, gave out long lines of pc
| destrians to cross the grassy plain
Arrived at the grounds, the people
spread their tablecloths, laid out their
dishes and sat down to put the picnic
dinner where it would do the most good.
They began early, for most of them had
breakfasted long before There was a
pleasant shade beneath the oaks breath
OF cool air was stirring, and the air
smelled of pennyroyal
The crowd represented nearly the whole
of Sussex county. Newton, Lafayette,
Hamburg, Ogdensburg, Franklin, Butler,
Vernon, Warwick, McAfee, Middletown,
Goieville; High Point, Port Jervis and
The centre of the grove is fenced in with
wire, and in this enclosure were set up
the stands of the hucksters and fakirs,
a rushing trade
In the inclosure was a platform on
Which the picknickers danced to the
strains Of an orchestra of banjo violin
and cello, and the stand for the speakers
and the band. This was decorated with
flags, and across the front, in three tiers,
Were arranged products of field and farm,
contributes by members of the grange.
Sunf1owers, asters, tomatoes, beets, corn.
beans and all manner of vegetables and
fruits OF the season were arranged on
plates and in cases, and the trees at the
III HCiS VI tliS5 StdUu were arranged
plates and in vases, and the trees at the
corners of the stand were decorated with
cornstalks. George Vandruff, master of
Vantage Grange, showed stalks of white
Dent fourteen feet ten inches high
Early in the afternoon the speakers
were introduced from the stand by Master
Vandruff, and the audience listened from
benches made by laying pine planks across
rows of rough-hewn logs stretched length
wise on the ground. The greater part of
the crowd remained for some time after
the speakers had finished. and the grove
was not cleared until after eight O'clock
The committees from the grange in
charge of the picnic were as follows
Speakers, George Vandruff, John Dekay;
arrangements and privileges Newman
Hall, S. M. Parcel, j. L. Quick, Brice Row
and Evi Vandruff.
Vantage Grange was organized in 1889.
The officers are;-Master, George Wand
ruff; Lecturer, Richard M Holly; Secre-
tary Mrs. Ida Roy, all of Deckertown.