Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1902-08-07
MISSOURI VALLEY IS
ENTERTAINING TODAY
Northwestern Brings About Eve
Thousand Visitors From
Omaha.
Rura!D Districts and Nearby Towns
Contribute Three Thousand
More.
Missouri Valleys Entertainment
Of the Omaha GrOCerS
Association

ASSOCldllOn
Will Be Remembered Long and
Will Do the City Much
GOOd.
J 1t remained for the Nilsson ri
Valley Commercial Club to dis
cover the fact that this city is
possessed of the finest facilities in
the State of IVA for entertaining
a crowd of people. After making
that important discovery the fact
was communicated to the passenger
representatives of the Chicago &
North Western rail road and to
Days j ,int picnic of the Retail
! Gfncers Association of Omaha and
the Butch ,rs Uninn Of Omaha,
South Omaha nnd Council Bluffs,
at which there is crowd estimat-
ed from 5000 to 1900, has been
the result.
Somebody sure subsidized the
weather man before he decided
what today's weather was to be
and he certainly fulfilled his con-
tract. Clear sky, just warm
enough to make Il basket picnic
under the trees enjoyable and u
gentle breeze from the North
West to hold down the tempera-
!ture.
/! For several days past the mem
ters of the Association in Omaha
have been hustling the ticket sales
for todays outing and when it came
to hauling the excursionists to this
city, the North Western Co, was
slightly handicapped through a
lack of coaches. Immediately upon
the arrival of the first excursion
train at the fair grounds and after
their human cargoes had been un-
loaded, they returned to Omaha,
and had all picnlckers here at the
fair ground before noon.
Included in the throng was ev-
cry type that has made the Amer
lean picnic Of world wide repute.
The gay old sport who forgot and
left his wifea home, and was hav-
ing a whoop of a time, aud didn't
care who was aware of 1.-THE
smitten young man and his steady
the unsteady young mantle
| old timer with the ear trumpet
the young lady with the ping pong
.ankle-the lcquacious vender of
the red hots, and the white apron
ed dispenser of that which is not
quite SO hot
The hustlers of the Commercial
Club had provided hundreds
of seats benches and chairs in the
cool shade, while thousands of feet
of lumber on which to spread the
family dinners was provided, and
ice water in barrels at every point
of vantage throughout the ground
was welcome feature of the day.
The picnickers did not care for a
scheduled entertainment, but came
for amuement in accordance with
their individual whims. The
large dance pavilion was crowded
from the arrival of the first "spe-
cial." The easy manner in which
the North Western employees han
died the throng was wonderful to
behold and the precautions taken
to insure the safety of every per-
son was remarkable, although ex-
penslve. The click of the opera
tors instrument was to be heard at
every switch leading to that por-
ton of the Elkhorn main line at
the fair ground. A block station
was established about three-quar-
tiers of mile west of the grounds
and every train approaching from
the west was cautioned and moved
past the grounds at a snails pace.
The North Western train master
and yardmaster Williams each &C
companied the trains to and from
the grounds and there was not the
least hitch in the accomplishment
of the plans prepared in advance
for handling the roads charges.
The grafters were here in great
numbers, attracted by the pros
poets of a rich harvest, but they
met with a cold reception. Those
in charge of the picnic grounds
refused to permit any game Of
chance, no matter how square the
lnronoaifinn saomad and 4ha ~.