The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-09-05
Clyde Shows How to Give a
Carnival.
Fourth Annual Celebration Was
a Success.
Had MELONS ENOUGH.
Farmers Say They We're Not al
Plentiful as Usual.
How a Genuine Carnival Is Con-
Quoted in Kansas.

melon carnival held at Clyde is a mem
ory- Its success is epitomized in the
following statement by George Gregg.
the town oracle: There were not so
many people here as last year, and not
SO many melons for them to get at, but
tine crowd was just large enough to be
comfortable. Last year the farmers
hadn't ANYTHING to do but attend car
nivals, and this year they are having all
they can do to save the big crops they
raised and haven't time to take vaca-
tion.
1t wasn't the drouth that shortened
the melon crop 1t was the wet weather
They are grown near the river in sandy
land and this was nearly all overfiowed.
killing the young vines The Turner
brothers, who are authority on matters
agricultural, planted II acres and saved
unlike that of other melon growers
That is why there were only five or six
wagon loads of melons to feed the
throngs at the carnival: but there are
melons at Clyde this year, only they
will not be seen in all their glory until
another week has passed. For some
reason the fates didn't adjust things
properly, and the ripening time of rhe
melons that were left and the time for
the melon carnival didn't come on the
Same daXs.
The fact is, however, that the free dis
triDution of the luscious melon for
w'ich Clyde is Justly famous doesn't cut
much figure. The people WIN go TO the
carnival don't go to ca. melons they
can get plenty of them at home. The
stalwart farmer boys and the coy and
blushing maidens from the Republican
valley come to Clyde to have a good
time. They want to enjoy themselves
by throwing handfuls of confetti and
-four down your neck They want to
wander I'D and down the street beyond
the pale of mothers watchful eyes; they
want to sit on the curbstone and talk of
things which no one else cares anything
about, and they wouldn't give a snap of
their fingers for all the melons in the
United States.
When all these things are considered
it is evident that the Clyde watermelon
carnival could not be a failure. How
ever, it does require two things to make
the carnival a success, and they are en-
terprise and energy, and the village of
Clyde is fairly running over with these
One man isn't allowed to manage the
are elected annually, SO that the emolu-
ments of office and the pleasure of work
ing ones self half to death for the good
of the community may be passed
around This year Danford Lake was
the president and E. j. Weise secretary
of the association, and 1t should not be
forgotten that J. E. loot was marshal.
These three men didn't care to sleep for
TWO Gays ana n1SQCS, because tn0Y knew
1t was useless to think of such thing
They managed the details so well that
even the man who operated the stand
where you knock a baby down and get
a cigar" had no complaint, and that is
saying great deal. Every citizen of
Clyde is busy on carnival days, and
his chief concern is that the visitors
shall have a good time. Even Charley
Crump quit singing coon songs for two
days while he helped to look after the
comfort of the visitors
There is a city marshal in Clyde, and
his name is James Carrick. This par
ticular officer is not a necessity during
the carnival time, but to witness an in
cident like this on a street corner a Wis
itor might think otherwise: A man in
a shabby tall hat suddenly begins to
talk in a loud voice in the direction of
a bandy-legged individual who does not
Individual makes a dash in the direc-
ton of the man with the silk hat and
fells him with a blow of his fist. The
other struggles to his feet, and the two
great vigOr. A crowd of several hun
dred people gather to enjoy the fight
when suddenly the stalwart form of
Marshal Carrick is seen making his way
gle he reaches the fighters and though
they resist they are led away to the
calaboose, followed by a thousand inter-
ested spectators.
strange part of it is that in five minutes
the two belligerents are again on the
streets Their battle was only part of
the programme. They are hired by the
managers Just to do that sort of thing.
and thus furnish excitement for the peo-
pie for these wise men realize that Kan
sas people must have excitement and if
they can not see some one else fighting
they are apt to indulge in that ungentle
pastime themselves. However that may
be- it is fact that during the two DAYS
and nights of the carnival there was not
genuine broi1 of any kind Even the
farmer who lost his money on the old
fashioned shell game took it good
naturedly.
When people go to Clyde they want
| amusement of the carnival kind and
nothing else. A theatrical company
which opened in the opera house played
| to four people the first night and then
packed their trunks and left. Two
pugilists who succeeded them drew such
a small sum in gate receipts that
| they refused to pummel each other and
one of them remarked as he drank a
glass of Carnival brew: "Wot a lot of
| chep guys desc is. Youse don't tink dat
| $50 in de pot" A person might construe
| this into compliment for the people of
! Clyde and vicinity, hut their indiffer-
| ence to a pugilistic encounter was
rather due to the fact that they won't
| be diverted. A prize fight isn't one OF
| the legitimate accessories of a carnival
| and they refused to take the bait
| The postmaster of Clyde is s. H
| Knapp, better known as "Sid" Knapp
| His special function this year was to
manage the ball games and he did ii
| to perfection though 1t was evident that
| his sympathies were not with the To-
| peka players. This was due to his gen.
erous nature. He always sympathizes
with the under dog but even though he
umpired the last game himself he failed
| to compass the defeat of the Topeka
| men who won three straight victories
from the Fort Riley soldiers. A Clyde
carnival without Sid Knapp would be
a dreary and dismal frost
| One of the oldest editors In Kansas Is