South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1916-12-30
PLAY GROUNDS OF
CITY BUSY SPOTS.
Report Shows That 1850
Children Were Enrolled on
Representative Teams.

Various activities in the seven
Fairgrounds in the city are record
ed in the annual report for 1917 Of
the municipal recreation committee
Just issued by f. b Barnes. play
ground director. The workings OF
the departments in charge Of this
committee are enumerated and show
that the year has been a busy one.
Through the summer months IA
play directors were employed 10
give the children the best of train
ing in athletics. Every playground
formed teams in the various sports
and the organization Of 1O1 teams
met throughout the year at the diff
ferent fields and competed in tourna-
ments. The total enrolment of the
representative teams was 1850.
In addition 20 the various leagues
each playground had it's games and
activities such as folk dancing and
story telling md singing games.
Four play festivals, which drew an
attendance of over 1000 people,
were held.
Basketball League Formed.
During the spring months there
was organized a school boys baseball
league with 10 teams playing for the
school championship. In one meet
there were $50 boys entered.
A garden department was estab-
Ished in the spring Of 1915 and last
year the gardeners were three times
as many. There were enrolled 934
homes in the seven districts of the
city to compete TO- prizes in garden
ing. The prizes amounted to $3.50,
and the gardens, which were made
in vacant lots, produced from SO to
SIS each There were % school
gardens and the estimated returns
from each garden was 81. Flower
shows were held in the different
school buildings and an exhibit was
held in connection with the Inter
state fair.
Civic Clubs Active.
There are 13 civic clubs in exist
epce and from Jan. l to May 1st
these held 1919 meetings with a total
attendance of 24,SS8. The civic clubs
took an active part in several com
bined movements, such as the pag-
cant and the municipal picnic at
Rum Village. which drew an attend
ance Of 1000 people.
Three of the civic clubs have en-
larged their scope and have pro-
grams at the schools three nights a
week. These community centers are
o gathering place for every one in
the neighborhood and amusements,
games, reading rooms and different
classes are available to the public.
There are classes in cooking. Eng
lish, manual training. arithmetic and
many other studies. The three COM
munity centers are Haley, Laurel
and Sample. These centers were
open 231 days with an attendance of
34,770.
Staged County Pageant
The municipal recreation director,
with the cooperation Of the recrea-
ton committee, organized and staged
the St Joseph county pageant, par
ticipated In by y organizations. a
cast of 1.5OO people and a chorus of
$500 people took part. 1t was a
community pageant and community
music on a large scale.
The work planned for the coming
winter months include the civic
clubs putting on dramatics and
moving pictures and organizing
school boys athletic leagues in
basketball and indoor ball and volley
ball. The coming year will see a
bigger. a better program of work
and the intensifying and charging
OF the work I'm the five school build
iugs. where there Will be open 10 all.
five times a week, for all forms Of
wholesome and educational sports
and games