Okolona messenger., 1904-04-06
AS THE PIKE "OPENS.
A Gay and Picturesque Procession
Of People Of Many Nations.
A MAae and a HalfParnds OF the Great
est COngtOmeEati0n Of Amuse-
meats Ever Gathered
Together.

On the afternoon Of the thirtieth day
OF April next there will be a spectacle
on a certain mile and a half strip Of
ground In the western edge of St. Louis
such as the world never saw before.
The Pike will celebrate its opening
that afternoon. The rest OF the great
Worlds Fair will have mad It's open
ing ceremonies in the morning, and
after luncheon The Pike will be the
center Of attraction.
Director Of Concessions Norris B.
Gregg and the members OF the Conees-
sionaires' Association are now arrang-
ing a programme for that event They
are not divulging the details, but it Is
understood that a grand l-rade Of al
Pike features that live a-d move will
be the piece de resistance of the cell
sbrahon. There are parades and pa
rades, but this one will be different
There will be camels in it--oh, yes!
and elephants; but the human element
Will be the really interesting thins
Occident and Orient will be represent
ed, and the isles Of the seas In the
long procession that will swing up
and down the great street Of conees-
sions there will be Turks, Egyptians,
Arabs, Persians, Hindoos, Filipinos,
Africans, Spaniards, Siamese, Core
ans, Japanese, Chinese, and representa-
tives Of other races too numerous to
mention-all in their picturesque ma
tive costumes.
Queer musical instruments will fur
nish marching melodies. Some of the
Orientals will dance along in their
peculiar styles. The bowling Dervish
will howl, the Whirling Dervish will
whirl, and altogether 1t will be a howl
ing and whirling affair.
There will be in line Jews, Gentiles
and Moslems from Jerusalem-hun-
dreds and hundreds Of them. Dancing
girls from the variety theaters of
gay Seville-yes, and from the hilari
GUS halls Of gayer Paris-will be there.
Beauties - stunning beauties - from
many European and Oriental nations
will lend the charm Of their faces and
figures and their picturesque costumes
to the aggregation. Arab horses, Bar
barry steeds, sacred COWS, tailless cats
and hairless dogs win figure in the
parade
And all along the way the thousands
of spectators will enter into the spirit
of international gayety. humming and
singing such familiar ballads as "She
Never Saw the Streets Of Cairo"
"Therell Be a Hot Time in the Old
Town Tonight" and the like. For
the opening Of The Pike-the worlds
greatest amusement boulevard-will
inaugurate a season Of eongIomerated
gayeties such as the sons and daugh-
lers Of mirth never knew before this
eventful year Of 1904.
No doubt that old gag, Its the
warmest show that ever came down
the pike" viii take on a new and
more intimate meaning. There are
already built ana in course Of con-
struction on The Pike thirty-hve i'm
portant concession enterprises, begin
ming with the Tyrolean Alps and q
village Of the Tyrol at one end and
leading to an eleYen-acre reproduction
OF the city OF jerusalem at the other
end. which is nearly a mile and half
away. The Pike is in the shape Of the
capital letter Il" the vertical stroke
being q mile long. The angle Of the
III accommodates the Naval Exhibit,
the Galveston Flood and Hale's Fire
Fighters. Jerusalem is at the farther
end Of the horizontal part Of the 81"
All along this thoroughfare. on both
sides, are the immense buildings, oi
picturesque and odd construction, that
house the concession shows. On the
opening day The Pike will be gay
with flags and bunting, and for jusl
seven months thereafter It promises
to be the most interesting amusement
district ever created.