Los Angeles herald., 1906-01-14
VENICE MIDWAY
IS OPEN TO-DAY
CHRISTENED YESTERDAY AMID
SHOWERS WITH ECLAT
Special Guests LavishIy Entertained.
Speeches Of Welcome, Fine Supper
and Special Performances
Tokens of Its Success

1t was the Venice Midway yester-
day OF course, it will be all right to-
day-if the sun shines-but yesterday
welll
However the Midway was duly and
thoroughly Christened yesterday, and
not In the water from the skies eX-
clusively, either. a throng OF Angelenos
went down and did it, and though they
never went nearer the Midway than the
trolley car took them the Midway came
To them. And one and all they pro-
nounced it "bully!"
And today the Midway will be open
TO the general public and Venice will be
In gala attire, and all the things that
were not pulled off yesterday for the
special guests-the day fireworks and
the decorations. the gondolas and the
bOOOO-count 'em--electric lights, the
ballyhoo and the spielers--wll be in
evidence for the general public.
But those special guests who went
down yesterday, despite the weather,
had an excellent example of how nearly
thing can come to being frost, and
escape it, For what with drenching
rain and "A chill wind from the sea, be-
draggled bunting and a Midway" that
gondolas could have run in, only Venice
could have pulled a success out of it,
However, Venice did. G. II. Brown,
president of the Carnival, CASTOR
Akoun, its manager, Frank Lawton, the
Conccssonaire. and few more, deserve
the credit for this They certainly en-
tertained the special carload of Ange-
lenos and the other visitors as well as
the aforesaid Angelenos were ever en-
tertained in their lives.
Hence and accordingly, the Midway
was plentifully and lavishly ChriStened
i'm ample BacChus-blest liba tons, and
1T is now officially and properly open
today TO the general public, who will
find it "a wonder"
Inauguration Ceremonies
The ceremonies of Inauguration were
to have been held out o. doors, but the
rain was too previous and too persist
cnt so everybody gathered in the palm
garden at o'clock and held them there.
Ellery's band was in attendance and 6.
II. Brown presided. On the stage with
him were the Hon. Dorsey Patton.
Mayor Dana Burks, President e. p
Clark of the Los Angeles Pacific rail
road, Postmaster M. H. Flint, Castor
Akoun, Earl Rogers, G. M. Black and
Frank Baker. In the palm garden, un-
der the chaperonage of Frank Lawton.
the rest of the host gathered, and then
and there, ceremonies were had.
Mr. Brown opened the ball, making
his statement of conditions, including
To California than good weather would
have been to Venice and hence we well
come il, though it does spoil our plans"
The band played America" and SEN
ator Patton delivered an address of
welcome. supplemented by another from
Mayor Burks. President Clark, Post
master Flint, who talked of consolida-
tion and owens river water, in contrast
with that plentifully falling; Frank
Baker, editor of the Review: Castor
Akoun, and last of all, Earl Rogers,
made talks. A negro quartet sang and
made hit, and the band played sew
cral times
These being the formal ceremonies.
were over in a couple of hours and this
left Il gap. which gondola rides and the
like were to have filed. IT was in this
gap that the resources of the Venetians
came into play. Not being able to have
out of doors doings, the powers that be
proceeded to organize a vaudeville show
right then and there. A husky negro
mounted chair, and sang from a
mouth as big as all creation. The pipe
organ was put in operation. So was