The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1910-02-12
NEXT WtfK'SEVEhT
GATHERING OF OVER 800 suSi.
NESS MEN FROM ALL PARTS
OF THE STATE.
Preparations BY Cairo RetaiIs Mer-
chants soeiation--Dis plsys at
Marx Building-Conven-
ton 0pes Tuesday.

The big event for next week III
Cairo will be the seventeenth annual
convention of the State Retail Mer
chants Association, which will be
held Tuesday, Wednesday and Thurs
day in the Marx building on CONNER
ciaf avenue at the foot of Ninth
street, This meeting was brought tC
Cairo as a result of the efforts of a
delegation of fifteen members of the
local organization who went TO East
ST. Louis last year for the purpose
and ''whooped ii up" for Cairo against
Iall contestants.
The meeting will be an important
one. the program is excellent and the
entertainment which will be provided
by the local association win be fully
up to the standard compared to sim
liar affairs afforded BY other cities.
The convention proper does not be-
gin until Tuesday. but the secretaries
of all those associations represented
in the state will hold assembly
meetings" Monday afternoon and
evening at the Commercial club
rooms, the loca' associations regular
meeting place.
In conjunction with the convention
there will be a fine display on the
first floor of the Marx building. made
by local wholesale merchants and
a few out of town firms. For the
past week or more John Gardner. the
contractor. has been building booth
after booth for these displays until
about al the space has been utilized
for the purpose. Following in his
wake il Mr. Cunningham of Peoria
one of the most artistic decorators
ever imported, identifying these
booths; and when completed, filled
with displays and the lights turned
on the whole will be a very pleasing
sight to the eyes of the $50 delegates
who are expected to attend the con-
yention
Indications are that there will be
large attendance. The Halliday
Hotel Co. has already made reserya-
tons for nearly half the number ex-
pected. Besides the delegates proper
there will be many other members Of
associations throughout the state,
visitors from adjoining towns and
delegations from cities who will strive
for the next meeting.
The exhibition by the merchants
will be free to all. and everybody Is
invited and urgently requested to at.
tend both the exhibition and as
many of the meetings as they may
desire.
The third floor of the building wifi
be the assembly hall. A stage has
been erected and the entire room is
being decorated.
Wednesday afternoon all the stores
Of the city will be closed from l to
O'Clock, 50 that all merchants can
assemble for u general good time.
The Cairo association has provided
a fund to be disbTbed by the wives
Of local members in furnishing en-
tertainment for the wives of the dele
gates who attend. During the ban
quet at The Halliday which will be
given Wednesday evening for the
delegates, the ladies' will be enter.
tanned in the parlors of the hotel
The following is the list of firms
who will make displays of their
goods.
McKnight-Keaton Grocery Co.
New York Store Mercantile Co.
Denison-Gholson Dry Goods Co
Cairo City Coal Co.
Woodward Hardware Co.
Wood & Bennett Grocery Co.
Pink g. Co.
Cairo City Coal Co.
Scudders-Gale-W earen Grocery Co
Gaunt Produce Co.
Cotter Bros. Il Co.
Cairo Creamery Co.
National Woodenware Co.
Clean Swep Co.
Loose-Wllls Biscuit Co. of St