Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1904-05-05
THE Bio REUNION.
Work on This Year Meeting Has
Already Begun.

year as usual; the dates will be Au-
gust 20 to Sept. 3, and inasmuch as
new features have been added, the
meeting will be almost as big as
the Worlds Fair. The grounds have
been cleaned up, and Nature is do
ing her share to beautify the place.
One of the chief attractions this
year will be the carnival, which will
be put on by The Parker Amuse-
ment Company. 1t will consist of
twenty amusements, all new, clean,
refined, up.to.date. Following is a
sketch of Charlie Parker, which will
prove of interest:
eleven years ago c. ". Parker
was jauitor of the court house ut $50
a month, in debt for family supplies
and having hard time to get along.
Today he celebrated his fortieth
birthday anniversary by opening "A
carnival season here with twenty
shows and over 200 people. He owns
everything on the grounds, likewise
a train of twenty five cars. includ-
ing a private car and special cars.
nearly all made in his own shops
and which will take his company
over its summer tour which is all
contracted until next October. His
shops here are the largest manufac.
turing concern in central Kansas
and cover about four acres of land.
He owns a dozen houses in the city
and much property elsewhere. His
wealth is estimated at $l50.OOO, all
made in amusing the Kansas peo.
pie in one decade.
"Mr. Parker tells how he came to
enter on his career thus: "One even
ing, after week of hard work, /
went up town with "A dollar in my
pocket to buy some groceries. Ny
little girl was with me and we came
to merry-go-round set up on the
street. We rode several times and
finally found that | had only ID
cents left. sat down to think about
it and made M my mind that any
thing that could get my mony bad.
ly as | needed ii would get any
body's money and that | would
start out with one if could buy it,"
HE tried long time before he
could get credit, but finally sec ured
a small riding gallery and started
out just eleven years ago.
"In his travels he developed the
talents of an amusement caterer.
He noticed that scarcely anyone
but children rode on the merry-go.
round. He invented a shooting gal.
lery in which the targets.are nova
BILE and small engine makes sheet
iron dogs, rabbits and eagles take
motions, becoming thus
difficult marks. He did not give
a way any cigars to the man who
scored. but the bullet set in motion
a loud voiced mechanical organ
that woke the echoes for blocks
around. This proved winner for
boys aud men and he has sold near
ly 400 of them, shipping many to
Asia and few to Europe.
"He noticed. too, that the manu-
facture of these attractions is more
profitable than running them
though he has taken in as much as
5000 on a single day with a merry
He started making these
in a shop 20x40. He has added room
each year until he has four acres of
shops and makes everything that
goes into his carnival fixtures from
the railway cars to the organs and
circus wagons. About 100 men are
the year round and the
output of merry-go-rounds and
galleries CONTINUES stead
lily. He is planning to turn out for
ambitious companies fully.equip-
ped carnival outfits. ready for the
actors and managers. The craze for
troupes is attracting to
him many offers. He has bought in
several outfits of cou. papies that
did not succeed and as everything
ne touches seems to turn into mon
~ he disposes of them at profit.
"Mr. Parker belongs to sixteen
edges, can play in his own band,
prefers to keep his money in gov
,rnment money orders, works four
cen hours a day, superintends his
,wn shops and makes his own
plans. He took out,a carnival COM
,any last year about half as large
10 the one this season. This year
lie goes to lola and Topeka, then to
'outhern Kansas and south. All
lis shops, cars and houses are
painted yellow-but he bars yellow
performers. He says they do not
,ay. Neighboring towns call Abb
enc Parkerviiie, but they also offer