The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1916-06-01
immense THR0NG :
HON0RS SOLDIER
dead and living
MEMORIAL DAY PARADE ONE OF
LARGEST EVER SEEN IN
SAUK CENTRE.
"a 0LD VETERANS INaLINE
CAUGHREN THEATRE PACKED
AT AFTERNOON EXERCISES
HONOR DEAD FIREMEN

A perfect Minnesota May day on
Tuesday made possible the biggest
and most interesting Memorial Day
celebration which Sank Centre has
held in number of years. A warm
sun, in accompaniment to a cool tenn
pering breeze, made for the comfort
of both little flower girls and silver
haired veterans, the result peng a
monster turnout of citizens at all of
the exercises, held under the auspices
of B. R. Palmer Post, G. A. R., and
the Sank Centre Fire Department.
The parade was one of the longest
which has ever been seen in Sank
Centre, the head of the column having
nearly reached the bridge across the
river before the rear end started to
move in front of the library build
ing. Business buildings and residence
places were gay with the Stars and
Stripes. The High School band made
the streets echo with martial music.
1t seemed that all Sank Centre and
vicinity had turned out to honor her
soldier dead and living, and also her
dead firemen.
The services and decorating of
graves at Greenwood and Oakland
cemeteries were impressive and in
spring, both of the burial grounds be-
ing thronged during the ceremonies.
In the afternoon appropriate exer-
cises were held in the Caughren the
atre. Every seat was taken. Scores
kthronged the aisles and crowded about
the exits on the outside Of the build
ing. Hundreds were turned away, be-
ing neither able to gain admittance or
crowd close enough to see or hear. 1t
was another big tribute to the nations
heroes.
By proclamation of Mayor Henne-
mann, all business houses in the city
closed their doors from 10 to IL
o'clock in the morning and from to
4 o'clock in the afternoon to give own
ers and employees opportunity to at
tend the various ceremonies.
The exercises began at 3 o'clock
with a concert by the High School
band on the Public Library green.
Half an hour later, with the members
of Palmer Post GAR. grouped about
the base of the staff, their silver-hair-
ed heads barred and bowed, Comrade ].
A. Norris, on behalf of the post, pre-
scented to Mayor Hennemann, repre-
senting the city, the 7O-foot flag pole
recently erected on the Library
grounds. After the speeches of pre-
sentatiensan acceptance, monster
new flag recently presented to the
post by the w. R. C. was unfurled and
hoisted, while chorus of school child
rem sang "The Flag Of the Free" In
presenting the flag to the city Com
rade Norris said:
"In the section in which I lived
when a boy, every city, village and
town had a flag pole, generally of
tamarac, which was called the liberty
pole,' so styled no doubt because from
its top floated the Stars and Stripes,
emblem of the freest government on
earth, where the oppressed of all ma
tons found liberty in it's widest sense.
"This pole was placed in a promi-
nent position in the business part of
the city. All patriotic gatherings were
held around it. These occasions were
few. Washington's Birthday and the
the Fourth of July were about the
only ones, but many of the political
meetings were held there and when
ever the band played it was to be.
found at the foot of the liberty POLE.
81 believe that the rapidity with.
which our volunteer army was raised
in the Civil War was largely due to
the patriotism aroused around such
poles.
"The day of the old wooden liberty
pole has passed away but better and
more substantial one has taken it's
place. I found in most places, espec-
tally in the East, that on the green,
as the small park is called, the soldier
monument and a steel or iron pole
was in evidence.
Attention was called in one of our
post meetings to the fact that Sank
Centre had neither monument or flag
pole and it was voted to procure one
of the latter. A committee was APP
pointed to obtain an iron pole and the
result, after considerable correspon-
dence and investigation, has been the