Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1907-08-20

neIt. Out ldullly iiVluR III OdiiIOTuid
will come back and renew acquaint-
ances and possibly there are many more
of whom we have not heard Let us
again remind our readers not to forget
to send lists of names of former Wau-
sau people to the secretary, Judge
Henry Miller, and by so doing lend
your assistance in making the affair as
much of a success as possible. Had the
matter been taken up last fall with the
vim which has marked the work of the
Whitewater, Watertown and Prairie du
Sac committees, there is little doubt but
what we could reasonably expect several
thousand visitors Anyone who has
ever lived here will ever remember the
hospitality of our people and home
coming furnishes an opportunity for
meeting old friends and acquaintances
which all should gladly accept.
Wausau people are making ample
preparations to entertain all the visitors
who report here at the time set, and it
will be week which we trust will be
fully enjoyed by everyone-both home
people and former residents.
There will be double attraction, for
the county fair is to be held the same
week.
1t may not be amiss to here give an
extract from Mr.. Goes letter regarding
the success of the Whitewater home
coming, for some of the same features
will apply to ours
''The festival was held on July 4, 5, 6,
2, and marked the anniversary of the
building of the first home on the site of
the present city. The Fourth was more
day for the people of the vicinity than
for homecomers and was celebrated by
one of the largest crowds the city ever
entertained. and in an old fashioned
way. Homecomers had been gathering
for week but on the morning of the
fifth, the first real home comers' day,
the trains were crowded. By night
sixteen hundred former residents had
registered. One old lady came from
Scotland especially for the celebration
and score or more registered from
California, and the New England states
furnished over d hundred. Before the
end of the week 1900 had registered
and it is estimated that four hundred
others failed to.
Regardless of the time or place, re-
unions, "reminiscences, hand-shakings
and back-slappings were seen. Every
one mellowed up, given names alone
were accepted, and the girl who had
married was made TO part with the
name the husband had brought her,
and compelled to hear herself addressed
with the sobriquet of her girlhood.
The prodigals bring back with them an
atmosphere you have never known be-
fore, and leave an impression when
they go that stimulates as nothing else
the citizens pride in ais own city, and
an affection for those instrumental in
its making. II is the experience of all
the cities in this part of the state that
have had home coming that such a
celebration always surpasses the fond
est expectation of the most irrational
enthusiast. Here in Whitewater we
considered the possibility of l,2C0 re-
turning, and trembied little at the
prospect of having to feed and house
them. Twice that number were here,
and not one application was made to
The committee appointed to look cut for
the unprovided for. They were simply
absorbed-taken to the hearts of old
friends and neighbors with room for
this one more"
Wausau's home coming is still nearly
two weeks ahead and our people can
dc much in that time. The success of
it depends largely upon the lists of
names sent or handed in to the secre-
tary. Each family should make up
list of relatives-former Wausau peo-
ple-who are at present living at dis
tance, for the committee has no other
means of getting their names and does
not know their addresses even should
they be thought of. Also make list
of all your old neighbors, together with
their addresses, and also list anyone
who has ever lived in Wausau, whom
you think others might overlook. The
committee will see that there is not
duplication of names. Should you
write to any of these between now and
Sept. l, give them personal invitation
to come, so that we can have Us many
absent ones as possible here on the
dates set. The making of such lists
win only cost you few minutes of
time and may return you many hours
of JOY as being the result of bringing
back the ones whom you desire most to
see.
Home comings are annual features in
the city of Watertown, but regarding
them as regularly planned events, MIR.
Coe says
'As for the home coming as an annual
event. know nothing further than to
be of the opinion that Whitewater peo-
pie would not want it so, and for this
reason One next year could not be as
successful as was the one this year.
The hsndclasps would be hearty of
course, but the separation of year is
not able to accumulate fund of poten-
tial emotion as one of twenty. thirty,
forty and tifty years. and it viii not be
necessary TO refresh our memory so
soon to the spirit of the ''home again