The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-05-13
CARNIVAL. WEEK
HERE AT LAST
After Months of Preparation the Gala
Time Arrives.
:: HISTORY OF THE MOVEMENT
: How the Street Fair Idea Met With
Hearty Approval and What 1t
Means to the Local Busi-
ness Interests.
HISTORY OF THE MOVEMENT
Carnival Week is here!

CcrniEa! Week Is mere.
The. great Richmond Carnival will be for
rnally opened tomorrow morning, and the
greatest celebration Of the kind that the
South las ever seen will be in full blast
Imposing inaugural ceremonies have been
arranged for and. the programme will be
carried out.
With the clang Of bells, the scream OF
whistles and the booming of the cannon,
III Joining in one grand chorus and salute,
viii welcome the week of gaietv and mer-
riment The gates OF old Richmond VIII
be thrown wide to welcome within her
walls the thousands OF visitors VINO VIII
come from other CommonWealths tnan the
Old Dominion; pay tribute TO the progress
industry and enterprise of the Queen Guy
Of the South.
THE RICHMOND CARNIVAL
For months the great celebration mas
been under consideration. With the sus-
sestIon that q grand Carnival and Free
. Street Fair would prove of benefit TO Rlch-
nond, came the ready response. Promises
were made on all sides by Richmond S
progressive and Wide-aWake business men
of hearty cooperation
All expressed themselves as favorable
10 the plan and ready to put their should
ers to the wheel. Nc one wanted TO hind
e-, all wanted 10 alu
To make the proposed celebration one
grand and memorable success was the
avowed determine ton of all.
The representative and the combined bust
ness Interests of Richmond, manufacturing
jobbing and retail, Joined heartily in the
movement.
They fell in line. They worked. They
took not only a general, but q personal in
terest in the plan. Their sole aim, their
common object seemed TO be to make the
..R!chnond Carnival and Free Street Fair
of 1860 a thing of beauty and joy forever.
Success, and success aloney was the end
to be achieved
How well they have succeeded can he
seen.
The Inauguration of the street-Fair idea,
its popularity, its becoming part OF the
business life of European countries, the
beneficial results and its part in the com
mercial existence of those cities and towns
where adopted as a custom, were matters
carefully considered and passed upon by
the leading merchants of the Capital of
the Old Dominion.
They also knew of the Street-Fairs in
PRODUCTION into the business life Of various
towns of this country and the results
achieved.
When all was considered the street-Fair
proposition was recognized as good thing,
and the idea met with favor. Yet, while
those interested were favorabiy disposed
to the St:eet-Fair and personally advocat-
ed its introduction in this section: an or
ganized body, one of recognized standing
in the commercial and financial world, was
needed 10 be the recognized head of the
Richmond Carnival and Free Street-Fair.
This head, this patron was found in the
Richmond Chamber OF Commerce,
The movement was then a go Plans
were formulated and "a campaign was
mapped out. The Richmond Carnival Assoc
ciat ton was organized and incorporated. A
charter was granted the Richmond Car
. nival Association by the Commonwealth
OF Virginia.
BYLAWS were adopted and the subscrip-
ton books were opened. The stock was
raniily subscribed and many firms who
were because of their organization or
rules OF government unable to subscribe
for the stock of the newly-organized Rich
r,1ond Carnival Association, made liberal
contributions to it. The success of the
!. movement was assured from the first
WORKERS, ALL OF. THEM.
Those gentlemen who were elected to
official positions, or appointed on one or
other of the various committees, were re-
!. cornizad as workers. Money and time We're
given freely and without complaint by
them. Personal aims and individual con-
siderations We're lost or forgotten in the
one grand aim-Richmend's good.
AS the time for the holding of the
. grand Carnival drew nearer, each success
siye day saw a great amount of work
. accomplished and the work approaching
perfection. The need, however, of a direct
!. ing hand was experienced, and the services
of Mr. George D. Benson. of Laporte, Ind,
; an sold hand at S.1e business, was Sc
. cured.
!. Mr.. Benson had spent many years in