The Portland daily press., 1900-06-20
Il will Be a Gigantic Show in
Itself.
Large Prizes Will Be OF.
fered for Contests.
This Will BE Only a Small Fea-
ture of the Celebration.

To make Old Home Week all that it Is
intended to be, the greatest day Portland
has known for many years, the committee
which has the matter in charge decided
last night at a meeting called for the pur-
pose to add as one of the features Of the
state day on August 7th, grand fire
mems muster which will be open to en-
tries from all parts of New England.
The Old Home Week com mittee from
the latest information obtainable antici-
pates tremendous crowd Of people to be
here on August Tth. 1t has been learned
that the Boston and Maine will run at
least two and perhaps more special trains
to Portland from Boston as well as all OF
the regular tratns and the boats will also
make arrangements for handling hun
dreds of people on this day. With such a
big crowd 1t Ia very necessary that plenty
OF amusement be afforded. There must
be 50 many and such striking features
that it will not be possible for the people
who come here to find one dull moment
in this celebration. All classes of people
must be satisfied and with this idea in
mind the committee believed that an old
fashioned fremen's muster such as our
fathers used to attend would be an at
tractive feature. The plan is to have not
only all OF the old time sports and con-
tests but the modern exhibitions as well.
With this in view the committee has
voted that the sum of $500 may be offered
by the committee which has the matter
in charge for prizes for these contests.
This will be divided as the subcommittee
may determine and they will be open to
competition for the flremen OF New Eng
land. 1t is believed that to contest for
these prizes the fire men will come from
all parts of the New England States and
that the Maine towns will be especially
well represented. With these red coated
fire fighters will come hundreds Of people
who delight to witness the excite nent at
tending a firemenis contest with its play
outs by the old fashioned hand tubs and
the squirting of the modern fire engines.
Chief NJ. n. Eldredge Of the Portland
department has consented to manage the
affair and will collect IA committee about
him to carry out the plan. Those who
are in a position to know say that this
additional feature of the celebration alone
will bring to this city at the very least
ten thousand people. The Old Home
week committee wishes to show the peo-
pie of Portland what real big crowd is
like and seem in fair way to do it. Out.
side of the sentimental considerations the
firemen are very liberal class of men
and it is expected that they win drop not
few dollars here during the day or two
that the will remain.
For attractions on Old Home week up
to this time there win be the North At.
lantio squadron, the Secretary. of the
Navy, John ID. Long and the governors
of Maine, New Hampshire, Yer and
other New England states. The biggest
parade Portland has ever known with at
the very least seven thousand or eight
thousand men in line with dozens of
bands, the big state meetings, the fire
mems muster, the coaching parade, a
yachting carnival and illumination, the
most costly fire works ever given in New
England, an illuminated bicycle parade
in the evening, manoeuvreing by the
First Maine regiment, band concerts,
baseball games, boat races and in fact so
many other attractions that 1t will be
hard to enumerate them at this time.
The Old Home week committee expects
the firemen of this city TO take hold Of the
flremen's muster idea and make that feat
ure the greatest attraction of all and they
have been promised the hearty co-opera-
tion of all the fire fighters In the city.