Omaha daily bee., 1906-01-01
Board OF Ak-snr-Ben Goyernors.


President G.. w. Wattles.
Treasurer, II. ]. Penfold
G. H. Pickens, Joseph C. Root,
W. s. Jardine, Emil Brandeis,
Gould Dietz, A. ]. Love,
C. N. Robinson, Charles R. Courtney,
George F. West, All Powell
The knights of Ak-Sar-Ben is an organ
ization peculiarly indigenous to Omaha. Its
object is to bring people to Omaha. to give
them a good time in a novel way. to sell
them goods and to have them go home
happy and glad to come back again. The
year 1906 will be the twelfth of the Ak-Sar-
Ben. which has become a permanent in
stitution.
Its energies begin in the early summer
and eliminate in the late autumn with a
ten days festival of which the climax
is a grand coronation ball. Throughout the
summer guests in the city are entertained
weekly at the initiation ceremonies, which
are extraordinarily costly and unique.
The order is secret; it's regular members
come from Omaha and South Omaha and
all nonresidents are entertained free. The
sole object of the knights is to spread
good fellowship and increase business.
The organization was founded in 1895 to
provide popular entertainment in connec-
ton with the state fair. The state fair
was moved to Lincoln, but the Ak-Sar-Be
remained and has grown stronger each
year. Now from $50, 600 to $4,000 is spent
annually to pay for the daylight and cleo
trical parades, free exhibitions and specta-
cles of various kinds and the coronation
ball. For the ten days frolic not less than
| lbs. 600 persons from all parts of the mid
die west come to the city every fall. Re
tailers and jobbers put their best foot for
ward and sell immense quantities of their
| wares. The Lest in the amusement and
| spectacular lines is secured and no efforts
spared to give the most fun for the least
money. Particularly fine is the electrical
! illumination of the downtown streets and
! larger buildings.
The organization is now secured in an
| incorporated company, managed by a board
of twelve governors Two years ago the
| Coliseum covering a square, was bought
and made the permanent den of the order.
| Membership lasts but to the end OF the
year and must be renewed again the fol-
lowing season by reinitiation. The initia-
ton ceremonies are one of the features
They are handled on an elaborate scale
and are changed completely annually
| From forty to sixty men are required In
the initiation teams and the cost OF the
weekly ceremony is about 500 each. These
| Invitations are so bizarre, funny and inter
esting that they are famous through the
whole country.
Through the summer the membership
which runs between 1900 and 1900. is gath.
cred arrangements made for the fall fes
tivities and advertising for the festiva
gained by guests entertained. The annua
Ak-Sar-Ben carnivals invariably insure
tremendous attendance.
The knights have the honor of COMPOSING
the only genuine secret order In the worlc
that improvises elaborate initiation cere
monies each year. 1t produced the frs
electrical parade. now an established insti
tuition, and in many ways has proven more
popular and successful than similar organ
izations throughout the west.
Visitors to the city are made member
OF the organization without cost and eacl
summer thousands of strangers are mi
tiated into the mysteries OF the court
Many OF the most distinguished OF Amer
ica's men have bowed to King Ak-Sar- Ben
and his subjects are found In every stat
In the union. And they are all loyal 4
the core