The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1906-05-10
Bio Celebration Is On in The
Pennsylvania Town.
IMMENSE CROWD OF PEopE PRESENT
Mon.ter Parade Was Held This After
noon-Reception Arranged
for Tonight.

er before in the history of this city
| have the streets been as crowded with
| visitors from all parts Of the country
! as today, the opening day of the GEN.
tennial celebration, concentrating
the anniversary of the Incorporation of
| Wilkesbarre. Nearly every building in
the city is decorated and the general
effect of the scene is extremely gor-
geous. Every train coming in this
morning brought crowds of visitors to
the city and the hotels are already
crowded to their full capacity.
The ceremonies began at 10 o'clock
this morning in the presence of an
enormous crowd, which filled every
available inch of ground on the river
common. The exercises were formally
opened by Mayor Fred c. Kirkendall,
who delivered a short address. All the
members of the city council, the heads
of the municipal offices, the Judges Of
the various courts and large number
of representative citizens, forming the
executive committee of the celebration,
were present at the opening. A cho-
rus comprised of the best talent of the
city sang a number of choral selections
especially chosen for the occasion.
This afternoon there will be a Grand
Army and military parade and pa
rade of the firemen. The military pa
rade will include state militia and the
independent regiments stationed in this
vicinity. Extensive preparations have
been made for the various parades and
it is expected that they will form
a fine spectacle. A number of bands
will accompany the marchers. Another
feature of today's program will be the
hill climbing contest for automobiles,
for which a number Of powerful auto
mobiles, mostly from the east, have
been entered. The course is from the
foot of Wilkesbarre Mountain, known
as Mt. Despair, and runs for about two
miles to the top. The grades vary in
different parts of the stretch, some of
! them reaching 26h per cent. There
are also several dangerous corners to
negotiate The contest is for machines
of different weights and valuable prizes
will be awarded to the winners in the
different classes.
The feature of this evening will be
grand reception at the armory, with
historical addresses, orchestral music
and singing by some of the local cho-
raj societies. The principal will be de-
who is a descendant of the Cuisine
and Hooker families, who were among
! ley His grandmother, Sarah Cuisine,
was the last survivor of the massacres
of the Wyoming valley, her father, DR..
Samuel Cuisine, having been a surgeon
in the fort. He rescued his daughters
from the Indians and afterwards set
tied at Carlisle, where for many years
he practiced his profession.
The program for tomorrow afternoon
includes a civic and industrial parade
in the afternoon. 1t will include a ma
| jority of all the civic societies Of
Wilkesbarre, and a number of beauti-
fully decorated and artistically arrang-
ed floats, representing the industrial
progress of the city during the hum
dred years of its existence. In the
evening there will be a band concert
on the river front and a grand water
carnival, which promises to be unusu-
ally interesting.
| The third day will bring the athletic
games in the afternoon and the grand
night carnival and fantastic parade in
the evening, when the queen Of the
fete will receive homage from many
thousands. Valuable prizes will be
awarded to the handsomest, most fan
tastic ETC., masks.
! The actual day of the anniversary
was March II, for it was on March II,
1906, that Wilkesbarre was incorpo-
rated as a borough. The celebration
was postponed because the weather at
that time of the year would not have
been very favorable for an open air
| celebration.
The history of Wilkesbarre dates
back to the middle of the eighteenth
| century. The first white settlers came
TO this valley in 1865. and one year
later they We're nearly all massacred
by Indians. BY 1770. however, strong
force of Connecticut settlers arrived
under the command of Major Durkee
and rough, but commodious, stockade
was erected on the bank of the river