Los Angeles herald., 1909-05-09
AUTO DEALERS
HOLD BANQUET
CURTAIN RAISER TO NEW SET
OF OFFICERS
TABLE DECORATIONS WORTHY
OF A POETS DREAM
Representatives of Nearly Every
Agency in City Assemble at Alex
andra Hotel for Their Big
Annual Feed

Gathered around a beautifully deco
rated banquet board typifying in
dainty Southern California flowers the
to-be-famous Santa Monica road race
course, the members of the Automobile
Dealers Association of Southern Cali
fornia last evening celebrated another,
and the most conspicuous, milepost in
its history with an elaborate annual
dinner in the banquet hall on the mez-
canine floor of the Alexandria hotel.
The function was curtain raiser to
the administration of the newly elected
president, Ralph C. Hamlin, and to his
official household, and was expressive
in it's minutest detail of that taste, ele-
gance and resourcefulness for which all
affairs of the dealers association nave
long since become noted.
Gathered around the board were rep
resentatives of nearly every automobile
agency of this city, together with
few invited guests of honor from out
side the fold, but who in the past nave
identified themselves conspicuously III
the associations affairs, including DICK
Ferris, whose ingenuity in such large
measure spelled success for the automo-
bile show early in the spring.
Earle c. Anthony presided at the head
of the banquet board as POSTMASTER
although his duties consisted more III
keeping the flow of merriment ana
bon mots of repartee unchecked than
they did in introducing any formal
speakers, no set remarks being ar
ranged for, much less tolerated, by
those having the affair Immediately IN
hand.
The table decorations were worthy
of a poets most springlike dream, the
Santa Monica road race course be1ng
faithfully worked out in miniature by
the use of profusions of sweet peas,
poppies, marguerites and other dainty
California flowers to give form TO the
landscape and its topography, While nne
seashore sand, smoothed out in sym
metrical lines and running between the
flowers typified the macadam-like
boulevard over which the speed devils
will race for victory in the annual road
race of July 10 next.
Dealers Frolicsome
Though so dainty a setting and so
elegant a background were worthy OF
a more dignifed respect, 1t could not
have been a dealers banquet, much less
a successful one, had not good nat
ilred horseplay been the predomlnatlng
diversion of the evening, and from the
moment that the merry diners sat down
TO their elegantly engraved place cards
ta the hour when the steward declared
the last frosted bucket empty there was
not one passing second that did not
possess its own peculiar element as a
cure for inertia or that tired feeIng.
A miniature stage at the extreme END
of the spacious banquet room was con-
ceaIed behind a curtain, the latter OF
which was presented to the assocla-
ton by the White garage, or at least
the label pinned to it so announced.
Dick Ferris found balloon tugging
at its anchor beside his plate; Bill
Ruess had his feelings hurt with the
presentation of a muzzle, while an ugly
coffee pot of the bargain counter varie-
tv rested innocently beside the plate OF
w. K. Cowan, bearing the inscription
st owing Cup, presented to w. *.
Cowan Of the Rambler agency by II. o.
Harrison"
AS the investigation of the menu pro-
ceeded the curtain which hid the stage
was raised and during the remainder
of the evening light vaudeville sketches
of a varied character were brought on
to afford entertainment to the ban
II was nearly midnight before the
dealers were sufficiently inflated with
GOOD things, and their annual dinner
will 90 down in their auto lore as a
fit companion piece to their past year,
success as an association and to their
recent automobile show, and as prom
Use of their coming road race and
autofest.