The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-04-02
TRAMPlNG THROUGH CALIFORNIA
The Columbia Park Boys Club Fifty Strong, Makes a Record for Summer Walking Trips -sugges-
 tions for Coming Vacation Tours.
AJoR SIDNEY s. PEIxoTTo.

tons for Comm; MAJOR SIDNEY s. PEIxoTTo. Service Charities and The
 Commons Press Bureau)
 QGajor PeixottO's walking trips in E1adffoTnia have become famous. Start ng ten years ago with three boys for bo1npnntons he has spent weeks. every r0unesters tramping through the Yose- mite anl& along the Pacific coast He G hea2 of the Columbia Park Boys Elub <anf from that organization he A11 recruited his marchers- Last <ar he led fifty boys north of the City X UuTeka- His suggestions may help khers boys clubs to organize similar Tor the last ten years have made Sa11ng trips to the different parts of
 716oxnia- My first summer was
 Mt walking with three boys from
 bckkon to the Yosemite Valley and
 eor EWelve days iu this wonder land E rqtxaced our steps back to the city.
 1901 led a. party of twelve boys To yoSemite and my experience on
 IT trip caused me to consider 1t as
 mposelble future Journey for such
 4arke party of youngsters It was.
 ereRure decided in the summon of oS to take A long overland journey o f2za North. the objective point to be Ao CatE of Eureka This route would Dn0 u1 through the coast countries Of
 
 mbor forests and eventually home Iong the Pacific Ocean. It is a de &h<fm and attractive journey, but 56e roads are very steep and difficult S6o th1s trip consisted of eighteen SGnAars From thts time the walks
 m to take a moro definite and or
 psd character. The next summer
 nEwe0 tho 8roup to twenty-four
 g1iked from San Jose, five hun
 Il m1les to tho south Following the
 King kHighway through the Mis-
 country of Ga2tornia- This makes
 g1p most attra active to boys. The
 coStry along the. Southern
 Coast is enough popu1ous
 aa1dr we'll titled valleys; and on
 NuTs@EAS journey was made de-
 fu attssactIye by the atten-
 ku6n0 f1WnS where we were often &oo6G = the c4tfzenal N*. sSs@-- Hhx next Aufnner' I enlarged the 5to t1ffrfy-si persons and we re- F1e01 sour steDs to Eureka. Those 1So Fere Interested in the develop nnf s56 fhesa walking trips began to: u,a1t me- that T Was oyer-stepping aH1lft4ea by enlaTging, the party to ~1 4txnser of boys It was argued
 TT E ga1en the number was increas-
 = 1Qch a large group To a. cer- Hn GEf6n& sthfS was true, but my de- Iro ySa afo give a. greater number of 4YD 4oFspd1vHe&eS or eiiJoS iHs liie-'c 1Gmf1 III cuttings and gain the bene- Ganl ret1lts which were so apparent
 bud7df6e fup physical and moral
 n9acter In every boy who had had
 pefyl1ege Of heinz a member Of pre- 6an WalkinG parties.
 7shnao a1ur1Tner trins were interrupt
 hY fhe Gre and catastrophe of 1906 ha following year forty4rive poys rre p4upared and taken on: a second Surnay to Los Angeles.
 IF in 1hA EureakH tf1p with a. party of fifty H60B and not only did we, make the 3St1xnev In haxmony and with the ut H8o@t order and good spirit in our 3xnD. hut we achieved a success in all Upertmenks of camp 1ffe which makes {ha memory of this trip the banner 5lnr Of the ten which have spent ;n1kinG with the boys
 Inc summer Eips of the Columbia RsrF Boyg. Club have certain1y devel- &ped beyond my fondest dreams In 1he 1901 trip the expenses became so Ipm&dndb1e a feature that. thought, Q& t31e last moment, of giving a. little GhoN as we passed through the var1- of1B towns and cities along the line of GE march. 1t was a. hastily arranged evenings performance, but entertain 1ng bad been SO much a part of our dub life fin the years gone by, that we Aecadod to put our best singers and 6lM beBt comedians on the stage and leE chem. in q simple way, entertain with their accomplishments. We al Ways had a costume closet as part 1T our cdub equipment and from this D p1cired out some of the incest 41ianGs and arranged a. simple program. The starting off was a disappoint- menf- The audiences were small and {7Iecourazdng but towards the end, as We entered the country far away from fhe Metropolis, the interest became Glrea4er and we were rewarded with 1uccees in our theatrical ventures -l.-L A-N- 1, At,O1 1%r-r, dooro more than paid for the summer outing for the party of eighteen mem bers During this summer, to attract tue amdiences to the theatres, the boys rave q marching drill in the streets 1fast before the theatre opened. It Wa1 . military drill of excellent qual- ffy and with the Drum and Bugle Corps, made a very interesting impress sfon as a. prelude to our evening per- The next summer, on the Los An eelee- trip, we again arranged thea fricAI performance. The show was Gfeate1y improved It was well fhouRht out and we'll acted. It re- cSived praise and approbation every where and there was a hundredfo1d in cfease in the receipts at the theatre doora The following year band mu- sic began to- be introduced into the club and when the summer time came, ik was possible to form a band and drum corps in place of the military drill This we found to be a, greater help than any other feature that we had introduced, and the band of that year, though not considered a. very or ddnary affair, was a. powerful addition fd the summer trips and to the sue cess of our theatrical shows The haud has developed in these years to the grand musical organization which made the Journey last year to the City Of Eureka and down the coast. This crack band would be able to walk through the streets of any Metropolis and attract the highest praise. The band consisting of every member of the party, fifty in all, whose music was above the ordinary and whose concert work was exceptional, made d8ep impression all along the route and undoubtedly packed the houses to the doors. As a marching organiza- ton 1t was worthy of mention, for It's drills and street work were of the