Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-10-01
MANY ON KINGS HIGHWAY
Attendance at Carnival Shows Gain
Each Day Over 1903.
BIG EVENTS ARE YET TO COME
Great Military Camp VIII BE Throb-
hing by Monday Might with Live
Iiness-wednesday Night Comes
Marvellous Parade.
ATTENDANCE FIGURES,

As a drawing card, the annual fail fes-
tival Of Ak-Sar-Ben never does grow stale.
It's appeal this year is proving as strong
as ever.
Since Wednesday the Omaha hotel regis
ters have been carrying an increasing num-
Der OF names Page after page has been
flied by the autograph makers, not only
from Nebraska, but from other states. This
ten-day revel is the one set feature of tue
year. In the royal west, for which folks
make preparations to be at leisure.
Ordinarily, touching the everyday affairs
of life, the vacation and visiting time OF
busy people is over with the coming OF
September. But Ak-SarB Bens gala time is
an exception. 1t has become home insti-
tuition for the whole empire surrounding
the city of the king. In years agone visitors
have found they do not wear out their
welcome" no matter how long they re-
main In Omaha.
The courtesies extended by the knights
to groups of citizens from many cities, and
representing many interests each year dur
ing the preparat atory joustings at the Den,
serve to spread the sentiment of hospitality
and good will to thousands besides those
who attend personally on invitation. No
one comes who does not go away in mood
to boost and say nice things of his enter
tainment And those who hear them know
that the promise of the initiatory days will
be more than realized when the harvest
has been made and the glorious days Of
autumn mark time for the wind-up within
the gates of Quivera.
Festival Family Affair.
This festival is a family affair too. 1t
has never fallen 10 the low estate of being
1 mere pleasure trip" for the head of the
house. but is held in esteem as something
designed and built up for the general en-
ioyment of the women and children, even
In greater measure than for the men. So
il is that families have gotten into the
habit OF coming in companies, regiments
and brigades. johnny is marching home"
when the trumpets and drums of Ak-Sar-
Ben sound anew each autumn; but with
him comes the women folks TO double his
Joys and the little ones to halve while they
enhance mis- pleasures.
"All things to all men" is indeed very
applicable to the character of the festivals
OF which the sixteenth is now in full flight
Pumpkins and paradise birds, sandwiches
and surprises spectacles and savages, pic
lures and pythons, thrills and trophies
grains and grisettes, showmen and shivers
acrobats and actresses, spieers and sol
diers and the whole gamut OF strange and
conventional pleasures, sights, sounds and
sorceries, are at hand. They line the en-.
closure and jostle each other in the oper
spaces, and are studied, guyed, smiled on
paid tribute, criticised in good or i'll hu
NOR; and on their part they find amuse
ment as well a. profit in the bewildernl
evolutions of humanity in the mass devot
ing itself solely to getting entertainment
in return for its ready coin.
Field for All.
Here the connoisseur of farming and tn,
critic OF beauty is able to find occupation
for the mind; and the seeker of fun alon,
has world of things to indulge him. stu
dents of the strange and the unusual car
be gratifed with unique exhibits of many
a different kind, pigmy and brobdigna gian
reptile and freak, aborigine and refined
oddity among humans, boneless wonder an,
dashiLg danseuse, mystery and merr,
trick, magician and musician swing o
dizziness and roll of ocean, Haunting ban
ner bearing wonderful representations anC
the quiet sign OF culture, stunted horse anC
monster rat, animals you used to rea,
about in the old Biographies and wonders
Of divers kinds never dreamed OF "wher
we were boys"
The price is low and the field is wide ant
the free outdoor exhibitions but bespeal
the liberal spirit of the management tina
keeps its hand on the lever at all times
There Is little or nothing to offend tn
most sensitive and there is much gathere,
here that could not be seen singly withou
long travel
Many Events to Crowd Week.
In reality the coming week will hav
crowded into its six days the true ex
cmplificaton of the plan Of Ak-Sar- Bel
and his busy contTivers. BY Monday N
great military camp will be throbbing witt
soldierly liveliness from morn to night
the bands will be crashing away. IN
crowds will be arriving In heavier number
and setting for a two or three-day stay
and BY Wednesday the floats will be rigged
the attendants drilled TO the last word, tn
street stands completed, regal robes fin
ished and delivered. all preparations com
pleted-and Wednesday evening the grea
electrical parade will wind its glitterin
course through the blazing streets The
the dawn OF Thursday will bring keen an
ucipaton OF the panoplied brigades OF wa
that will swing along the thoroug hfares-
an army on the move in field gear. In trir
khaki. in patriotic blue, and with many
CLINT OF gold and brave trapping carried b
man and steed.
But pending all this outburst OF n
thrilling things yet under cover the chi
nival is on; and in thousands OF homes hel
and elsewhere the talk turns TO il warml,
Fathers and mothers have planned for
and the children will not be gainsaid