New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-07-24
CHILDREN TO HUNT FOR
CENTRAL PARK FAIRIES
Three Thousand Playground
Youngsters to Take Part
in Great Pageant.
FROM ALL THE NATIONS
william J. Lee, with Citizens
Aid, Will Give Little Ones
Happy Evening on
August 3.

WV
Three thousand children are going 10
..,,, for fairies in Central Park on the
Itch, Of Saturday. August 3. What's
.s.t7 There are no fairies in Central
park? But william J. Lee. the New fork
po-r DEPARTMENTS supervisor Of recrea-
,,o, says that there are. lie says there
-. fairies wherever there's a green, and
20 he and his assistant. Miss Mary Z.
McKenna, have arranged a great
rsg.snt, 10 be composed OF children
from forty different Fairgrounds. 20 look
sor the wee folk IN the ten-acre sheep
,old. at 10th street and the West Drive.
@ the fairies had better watch out.
,o- IT'S not much Of a chance they'u
have with three thousand sharp eyed
c,tv children on their trail. especially as
,hs whole sheepfold is 10 be brilliantly
illuminated with electric lights.
This pageant will be an outdoor adap-
,a,,op OF Around the World in Search
Of Fairyland," which was given at the
gippodrome last year. For the children
are not only going TO search for the deni-
gems Of tairyland, they arc going to
search for the land itself.
Children from All Nations.
Children from all the nations Of the
,arth viii be there-wee Italians and
dusky spaniards, little, pig-tailed Chi
nese youngsters, small Russians. Ger
mans Scotch and Irish. Greeks and
Hawaiian boys and girls. And then, Of
course, there will DO the children OF the
United States, who will be extremely
various in themselves, for cowboys and
covgrls, Indians. civilians. tennis girls
and baseball boys, Liberty girls and
heralds for Uncle Sam will be numbered
among them.
Getting three thousand children TO Gen.
trai' Park from forty widely scattered
playground districts is no small PROPOSE
don. and the Park Department has never
had Il 20 solve before. for this big out
joor party is the first Of its kind they
have given. After thinking 1t over Mr..
Lee decided on auto trucks II he could
get them. Auto trucks are a dreadfully
prosa!c mode of transportation for chill
dren who are searching for fairies, but
what can one do In these materialistic
times? The Park Department figures
that a ride IN them will please the Chi
dren hugely, and the managers of several
large department stores have volunteered
to loan auto trucks to the number Of one
hundred IN all.
Fun Begins at 6 O'Clock.
II is planned to have the children reach
he sheepfold at O'Clock in the after
aoon. From the Tompkins Square sec
ton will come the Spanish contingent.
Well, Of course, they may not be Spanish
born, but their costumes will look as II
hey were. Chelsea and De Witt Clinton
ssrks will furnish the Killed Scots, Cor
ears Hook playground will send the lit
lie Greeks. and the Hudson Park play
ground will contribute the Irish. The
small Hawaiians will represent the vari-
Gus Central Park Fairgrounds, and they
are to be led by negro teacher, too.
Real little Chinese children, dressed IN
native costume, will make part of the
irucklosd from the Five Points play
ground Seven Fairgrounds viii be repre-
sented In Uncle Sans representation-the
Jsspar oval, the 18th street, Amsterdam
avenue. the Fort Washington. the Reser-
yoir, the Cherry and Market streets and
the Bennett Field. Each national delega-
ton will have It's courtiers and peasants
and heralds.
After the children reach the sheepfold
they will hunt for the fairies until, tired
ont, they fall asleep. And when they
awake, behold! the fairies will be there.
truck? Anyhow they will be fairies, led
by the King and Queen Of Fairyland, and
TO one IS supposed TO know that the king
is really Johnnie Helm, and the queen
small Ella Lee.
As the children wake and sec tho fairies,
the electric lights, thousands OF thenL
wired IN the trees, will blaze out. And
there will be dancing on the green. The
fairies will do the dance OF the golden
rod" and the children Of the various
nations, Just to show that mortal chill
dren have light feet too. will perform
their national dances. Also there will be
tumblng and acrobstic acts by boys from
the Fairgrounds, and Thomas Campbell
will enact Marcellne
Then Will Come the "Ests."
After all the frolcking Will come what
Mr. Lee calls the eats and the sweets"
Two thousand boxes Of candy, three thou
Eand bricks Of ice cream. twenty-five
hundred packages OF popcorn and one
thousand quarts Of milk and few other
things will be handed out-all OF them
contributed by New York dealers.
"A thing that ought to appeal to tax
payers is that this pageant isn't costing
the city cent" Mr.. Lee said yesterday.
The lighting, the refreshments, the anto-
mobile trucks, etc, are all contributed
We are doing the work, the children
being trained In their respective play
grounds. and playground attendants Will
marshal them to Central Park August o.
We don't intend to keep the chhoren
out late BY O'Clock they'll all be away
from the park. The hundred trucks VIII
parade down Fifth avenue to the WASH
Mill