Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1905-04-20

FIftleth Anniversary Celebration at
the Vehicle City.

pOTIdnce Oh Seml-centennlal event III
| becomes an occasion for special rec
] ognition. Fifty years ago this spring
the city OF Flint, the county seat OF
Genesee county, took on the dignity
OF municipality and during the inter.
vening half century Is has advanced
to position OF prominence in the sis
terhood OF flourishing Michigan cities.
This being its Golden Jubilee year, its
citizens have with united effort and
enthusiastic interest entered upon the
project OF celebrating their municipal
birthday in manner and on a scale
that will do justice to the event that
is to be comnemorated and to the rep
utation OF the city for hospitality. The
dates selected for the celebration are
Wednesday and Thursday, June Z and
8, and during those two days the latch
string will be out for all who visit
Flint to join with its people in the
| festivities OF an occasion that in the
| years to come will be marked and
memorable In the history of one of the
most prosperous, progressive and hos
plIdDle cities In the state.
The official designation of the cele-
bration Is Flint's Golden Jubilee and
Old Homecoming Reunion. AS its
title indicates. 1t is to embrace more
than mere recognition of the great
advancement the city has made dur
| ing the first semicentennlal period of
| its existence as a municipality. Due
attention will be paid to this feature
| or the occasion, but above and beyond
things material there is a touch Of
sentiment underlying the preparations
| for the event that will find expression
| in an Old Home Coming and Reunion
| of former residents of the city, who
will be the recipients Of official invita-
| tons to revisit familiar scenes and
| renew old acGuaintances during the
week OF the Golden Jubilee. Tie re-
union spirit aroused by the old homo
coming feature of the celebration has
| manifested itself in many other direc-
tons, and plans are nearing compile.
ton for numerous gatherings of school
and college graduates, eX-members of
the local state military organization,
ex-city officials, former pastors of the
city churches. etc, etc, in connection
with the celebration.
The movement to observe the semi
centenary anniversary OF Flint as a
municipal corporation had its incep-
ton some six months ago, and early
in the present year the project was
| taken up with an earnestness and an
| enthusiasm that augured well for the
complete success of the celebration.
| The first actual step was taken by the
common council in the appointment of
a citizens committee of prominent la
J dies and gentlemen, from which sub
| committee Of ten was subsequently
named to outline general plan and
program. In the development of the
scheme Of organization an executive
committee was placed in supervising
charge of the arrangements and a
| large number of subcommittee was
| assigned to work in educing the gen.
eral plan OF the celebration to minute
detail. These committees are now in
| dustriously engaged in their various
tasks and all along the line there is
| the utmost harmony and cooperation
| in having everything work toward the
one end of making the celebration
worthy of all that it will represent in
the Industrial, educational, religious
and social life Of the city.
Many distinguished citizens of the
state and nation will be the guests of
the city during the Jubilee festivities,
| assurances having been received from
Vice-President Fairbanks, U. S. Sen
ators Alger and Burrows, Mr.. Justice
| Brown Of the United States supreme
court, Governor Warner and his mill
| tary staff the justices of the supreme
court of Michigan, members Of the
state military board, and others, that
they will be present on the occasion.
| President James b. Angel of the Uni
yersity of Michigan has accepted an
| invitation to deliver an address, and
Rt. Rev. John s. Foley Of Detroit will
| also speak at one of the several fune-
tons that will be among the diversi-
| fed features of the Golden jubilee
Invitations have been extended to ex-
Mayor Maybury and Mayor Codd of
Detroit, and to the municipal execu-
| tives of all the cities in Michigan. The
ladies of Flint are planning to do their
part as hostesses and have sent invi-
tations to Mrs. Fairbanks, wife of the
yice-president, Susan B. Anthony and
other women OF national prominence
to be their guests during the celebra-
ton.
The program for the two days pro-
vides for an industrial parade, en-
bracing floats depicting the Flint of
fifty years ago and the Flint of to-
day, and floral parade by the school
children of the entire county Of Gen
esee. The celebration will be notable
in that it will witness the dedication
of new 100000 courthouse, the ded-
ication of the new Carnegie public IL
brary building, erected at a cost of