The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1910-02-17
COMMERCIAL CLUB BANQUET,
There was a Full Attendance and a
Big Time at the Banquet last
Friday Evening.

The second annual banquet of the
Leon Commercial Club was held on
last Friday evening and it was one
of the swell events of the season
The banquet, a six course one, was
served at o'clock. in the Biggs hall
by the Estes Cafe, music being fur
nished by the Leon orchestra. Plates
were laid for over two hundred peo-
pie and there were no absentees. o.
E. HULL presided as postmaster and
after the invocation by Elder j. s.
Coffin everybody got busy.
AS it was 10 o'clock before the
last course of the banquet was fin
ished, and there was big minstrel
| entertainment to follow, the time for
toasts was limited. The first on the
program was Icons Progress in
the Past Year" which was respond
ed to by w. c. Stempel, president of
the Commercial Club, and in a few
words he gave some idea of the
many improvements which have
been made in Leon since the club
banquet year ago, showing by act
ual figures that the private improve
ments made during this time was
almost $50. per capita for all the
residents of Leon. THE Benefits of
Our Public Improvements were
shown up in careful manner by
Horace Farquhar and when duly
| considered is record to be proud of.
will the Commercial Club Deliver
the Goods" was responded to by
James w. Hurst, and he was firm in
the opinion that they would, as has
been shown in the past. A. P. Olsen
gave short but splendid eulogy of
| Abraham Lincoln and it was re-
gretted that the speaker did not have
more time. in which to do Justice to
| that grand old man. Gels Botsford,
secretary Of the Des Moines Com
| mercial Club, was the guest of hon
| or of the evening, and spoke Of
| Some Iowa Possibilities and How to
| Cash Them In" Mr. Botsford is a
live wire, and he could have filled in
an entire evening telling of the great
possibilities of the great state OF
Iowa. He has given much careful
study and work to this question and
was prepared with facts and figures
to show that Iowa has advantages
possessed by no other state in the
union, and all we have to do is to
take advantage of them. He said
that Iowa was the greatest fruit
country in the world and in the re-
cent horticultural convention held
at Denver Iowa carried off the first
prize for the best apples against Col
orado, Oregon, California and all
other competitors. He also spoke
OF the dairy interests, and of the
good roads movement. Mr.. Bots
ford is splendid talker' and those
present would have enjoyed hearing
him for whole evening, but he con-
densed his remarks in order to give
the minstrel talent chance.
After the toasts were finished
everybody went to the K. P. hall
where members of the Commercial
Club presented black face minstrel
entertainment Of almost two hours
in length, and say, it was about the
best thing in this line ever seen in
Leon. Each and every artist ap-
pearing on the program was an
artist and had to respond to a hearty
encore. Such staid old citizens as
John Wasson, c.. M. Axes, Nose
1 Jones, DR.. Rowell, George Ogilyie.
4 George Hurst, DR.. roxworthy, Mar
ion Woodland, and others could se-
cure an engagement on the road any
time. The program opened with a
comic song from r. o. Allen, which
made hit Then Nose Jones, in
plug hat and a mouth made special
Tor the occasion gave the spieler's
announcement of the show and he
must have had experience in this
| line In his younger days. Carl Hale,
! as the lady singer and skirt dancer,