Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1911-06-29
NOW READY
FOR RUSH To
CITY FAIRGROUNDS
Children, Unleashed from
School, Will Swoop Down
Upon Recreation Spots.

With the closing of the schools a
flood of small boys and little girls, to
say nothing of their older brothers and
sisters. and a few parents to boot, are
descending upon the city Fairgrounds.
The playground commissioners, the
Board of Education and the Essex
County Park Commission are getting
ready to meet the rush, and in a few
days the Fairgrounds will be hives of
activity.
The Fairgrounds, under the manage
ment of the Playground Commission,
are kept open all the year around, so
that there will be ne difficulty in get
ting tlsngs in shape. The park play
grounds have been open from early in
May and will be kept so until late in
the fall, so that they, too, are partially
prepared for the rush.
J schoo Fairgrounds to Open July 10,
The school Fairgrounds, some twenty
odd in number, will be thrown open
albut July 10. and just at present
everything is hustle and furry, setting
up of apparatus, raking of the grounds
into condition and drilling of green in
SITuclOIS III l1eI QulltS.
This morning. as soon as the Newton
Street Playground, the headquarters
of the Playground Commission, was
opened, there vas a crowd of young
people, filling the air with their shouts
and sending cold chills up the spines
Of he instructors with their feats of
daring on the apparatus.
William J, McKiernan, .superintend-
ent of the system, said In the course
of a conversation with an Evening
STA; reporter: ;
1.-THE people of Newark little realize
how important a factor Our city play
ground system is. 1t would surprise
most people to know that the total at
tendance of our three Fairgrounds and
several recreation centres during the
last year was over $780, 00. Another
fact not generally known is that our
Fairgrounds are not conducted for
school children alone, but are, SO far as
our facilities will admit. open to all
the people,
Provision for Working Boys and Girls.
After 6 o'clock provision is made for
the working boys and working girls
And also If you will make a visit Il
any one of our recreation places during
the day at this time of the yea you
will see man. mothers there with their
babies.
II hope to see the day when our play
ground system will be SO far advanced
that we will be able to offer more and
better facilities to adults. I hope TO
see recreation buildings where the
mothers of the %neighbood can come to-
gether and hold meetings and receive
helpful hints and instruction in those
things which will tend to enable them
TO, bring up strong and healthy chill
dren and teach them many lessons in
hygiene and domestic economy which
they are woefully lacking intoday.
ut is simply amazing to know that
babies and small children are able to
survive. The Fairgrounds, through in
telligent administration, can do a great
deal to abolish ignorance and prevent
many Of the evils the poor have to
contend with. The playground system
as we are operating it reaches close
to the hearts of the people. We are
in many ways in closer contact than
our public school system. and we could
do much to ameliorate unhappy con-
ditions If the work We are striving to
do was better understood"
The superintendent then cited some