Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1900-07-19
GRAND RAPIDS ENTERTA|NS
THE WHOLE CITY UNITES
IN THE EFFORT.
MEMBERS OF TIE PRESS MUCH PLEASED
WITH THEIR VISIT.

MEMBERS Of IHE PRESS MUCH PLEASED
WITH THEIR VISIT.
A Drizzling Rain Impedes But Cannot Spoil
the Pleasure-Numerous Entertainment
Committees t-eep the Guests Interested and
Happy.
The weather was almost as bad as it
could be Monday, when everybody
wanted clear sky and a bright sun
to shine upon the most elaborate
welcome the city had ever undertaken
| for visitors. Nevertheless. so
/ thoroughly had the work of the various
! committees been organized, that not
| hitch in the proceedings was at any
| time noticeable, and the members of
! the press ASSOCIATION were given but
little time to think of the gloomy as
pect of the weather. No visitor was
thrown upon his own resources for
| amusement. If he or she was not
pleasantly occupied it was a sufficient
! signal to some member of the enter
| tainment committee that his services
were needed and he forthwith offered
J the same to the visitor. And it was
this Willingness on the part of all the
people whether on the committees or
7 not that redeemed the day and made
/ it one Of the pleaSanteSt events in the
| history of the city.
A number OF important items On the
program went glimmering with the
rain, notably the visit to the cranberry
J marsh before reaching NekOOSa, the
drive up the river from that point.
boating expeditions, ETC., but the ball
: game and visits to the numerous
factories occurred as advertised and
many carriages and covered vehicles
! were busy all the afternoon and even
ing conveying the guests to different
points of interest about the city.
! The night previous Editor Drumb
| of the Tribune, ChaS. POdawiltz and
j. f. Cooley of the REPORTER were
! sent to New Lisbon to meet the
editorial special and distribute pro-
grams and the beautiful souvenir
! books descriptive of Grand Rapids
among the visitors that they might
have an idea of the town and what
! ! was in store for them here before their
arrival, also to check their baggage
and furnish them any other informa-
tiOn and assistance that they could.
| Geo. n. Wood had sent down a box or
UNO VI IISdlS w UlC vi UuC
J party, and this with the souvenirs and
programs soon put an air Of pleasant
expectancy in the crowd that had left
kilbOurn City in state bordering on
| dissatisfaction owing to various causes.
1t had been intended to visit a cran-
berry marsh at Cranmoor, but when
| the train slowed up the rain was
coming down in torrents and all of
: cranberry culture the editors saw were
baskets Of the+plantS which Secretary
Fitch of the State Cranberry Growers
! association had for distribution.
| At NekooSa the party was met by
Mayor B. r. Goggins, t. E. Nash,
George M. Hill. A. l.. FOntaine, Mrs
| j. d. Witter, Mrs. n. Johnson, Mrs
/ W. T. Jones, Mrs. George M. Hill,
Guy Nash, all on the committee of
| entertainment and reception and for
| the next half hour the whole party
were busy inspecting the paper making
/ process in the big mill of Nekoosa.
But few of the party had ever seen
! paper made and the elaborate process
and works in this mill was a revelation
to the visitors, many of whom knew a
I great deal about paper in one way or
/ another.
The train arrived nearly on time at
! Grand Rapids and was met at the
depot by the balance of the enter
tainment committee with carriages
! for the ladies and they we're escorted
to the K. P. hall where the party was
divided for dinner, a part of them
I going to the Forester's hall and the
balance to the Masonic and Odd
Fellows hall, where an elegant and
! ! substantial repast had been provided
for them by the ladies of the
Methodist and Congregational
: churches. Two immense dray loads
of baggage came up to the Opera
House which was made headquarters
for the visitors during the afternoon.
The party was broken up into small
squads in the afternoon, some going
: to the ball game, others for drive
about the city, visiting the hub and
spoke factory, the furniture factories,
= foundry, electric light plant and other
places of interest in and about the
city.
= About % of the party were taken to
the club house of the Crooked Rod
and Reel club up the river where an
: elegant fish chowder was prepared and
served with proper dressing and a
variety of superior washes. DR..
! Teller and party had made a fine
catch of fish for the chOWder includ-
ing Wisconsin River beauty, small
: mOuthed black bass of 81. lbs weight,
and Alex Muir prepared the choWder
in a style peculiarly his own aud
seldom rivaled. The others assisting
at the feast were G. T. Kellogg, w. H.
Reeves, Geo. Baker, D. B. Philleo ana
E. S. Renne. 1t took two kettles of
the chOwder to 60 around and then
the BOYS were all in a merry mood ard
: ready for The flow Of soul and music
/ which followed. Some State Uni
/ versity students sang Il few male
) ouartettcS with great eclat. and J. G.
/ MUnahan OF tie Darlington Repub-
. liCan Journal told some Sidc-SplittIu ing
: stories in his U"n inimitaDIC way.
: AltugcIhu this WAS one Of the jUllieSt
/ features Of the editors entertainment
: and as one very CircumspeCt member
I of the party put it Uhe only thing he
1 regretted about it was. that the trick
: was not to be repeated the next day.
In the evening a grand reception
/ and ball was rendered the guests at
! the Grand Opera house and despite
/ the pouring torrent of rain that fell
most of the time, the hall was filled
! with 600 or 800 people. 1t had been
nicely decorated and a brilliant display
of electric lights arranged most
! effectively, while HirZy's orchestra
/ diScOurSed exquisite music during the
greater part of the reception which
! lasted over an hour. All the guests
were supplied with the dantiest of
bouquets and light refreshments in
: y orrS 10 hn11Sn