Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-08-16

parade. literary -excr Cise=, decorations,
dinners. concert and ball.
The best part of the Celabra tiCn has
been the crowd. Every body was here.
To begin with. al! Leeds was on hand.
and hundreds upon hundreds poured
in from neighboring towns and from
Lewiston and Auburn. And then. best
of all there were hundreds of others.
rdtiveS of Leeds or their children. from
all parts of the land. The crowd
came by special trains. in hayrackS.
bargcs and all manner Of vehicles. on
horseback. on bicycles and on foot. and
at least one automobile party came
from Lewiston. They all cam" early
and they all made 4 day of it: most OF
them remained for the concert and ball
in the evening. 1t was happy crowd:
everybody knew everybody else and it
does not seem as though there WAS a
stranger in the multitude. 1t was a
great family reunion. an old-fashioned
nriChbnrhood picnic on a prodiGious
scale 1t was a typical Old Home week
gathering. lust the kind that old Home
week was made for. and just the KIND
that ensures the preparation nf cfl
Home week in Maine. on" memher ot
the executive committee told the jour
nal representative that he had figured
~ a total of % states represented IN
tho gathering by natives of Leeds or
their children. and he Thought that
half dozen or more states niSht De
AIDED to the list if the canvass we're
made more thorough. That is tn" kind
of an Old Home week crowd it was.
And the size of the crowd? Well. 1t
was estimated all the way from oG"o to
1000 nooplc. President Of the Day
Seth Howard and Toastmastcr Frank
NJ. Higgins agreed that $500 was a con-
scrvative estimate. This was I" pretty
good sized gathering when it is con-
sidercd that Leeds has population of
less than 1000 people. Certainly so
many people were never before IN inc
town AZ one time. and there will not be
so MANY again until the town ceic-
hratcs IFS second centennial. an event
about which the Leeds people are al
ready talking. tonight.
The celebration was held at Leeds
Center the best located ana most I'M
portant of the several villages IN tue
town. In the field behind the Old Town
house were erected the big pavilion for
the spccches and the ball and the two
great dinner tents. and here from all
quarters gathered the crowd. 1t is
beautiful SPOT. overlooking picturesque
AndroScoc-in lake with its billy shores
and wooded islands. In the morning
there was n thick fog and when even
ing came the fog again closed IN. All
dav the skies were haZy and overcast,
but no rain fell and the size of the
crowd made it evident that nobody had
been kept at home by the fear OF ram.
The dav was ushercd in by salute
at sunrise and right here occurred the
only serious mishap Of the day A
borrowed of the State govern
ment and sent over from Augusta, was
used. Af,cr the third DISCHARGE whiie
o. z. Mayuire was in front of the mu%-
Zlc ra4nuing in another charge. me
powder exploded and the young man
was badly burned in the face. neck ana
arms. He was at once taken to the
hosritable home Of Willard I.othrop
near by and DR.. F. l.. Chenery or
Wavna summoned Mr.. Mcguire sut-
fered greatly from the terrible burns
and for a time it was feared ne was
blinded. hut later in the day it was
announced that his sight would ne
saved The accident prevented the
firing of the remainder of the 80 guns
which had been planned as the sun
Continued on page g.