French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1916-1919, 1917-03-01
lw SMITH WHITES no THE
SECRETARY BOARD OF TRADE
Offers Laurel Park Free as Ideal AOca-
lion fer Pleasure and Games.
Wants Committees.
Hendersonville, Feb e. 1917.

H~endersonville, Feb. rs, 1SlT
To tba President and Secretary of
The Hendersonvillc Board OF trade
Gentlemen:
You NAV have observed that 1 nave
not been attending the meetings OF the
BOARD of Trade and as 0ne greatly m
tarested i'm the splendid work when
the Board of Trade has been
ought to explain.
If O will spend a little time m my
office and watch. me about the strests
Won will find out that l am spending
much of nv time and all my
in irving to convince our people mat
every citizen owes a duty to the town
and that he can only discharge mat
duty bo cooperating with q bodru VI
Trade. Personally, 1 have observer
that it is best for me to preserve my
/ strength for work in the day time ahd
I hat I ought not to be up and out NJ
night. hence my failure to attend your
meetings. which always occur al. nlgnl
| when I am at home in the ountry
When he weather improve l hope TO
be with you.
/ What I want to say is that 1 am
keeping in touch with the rapid growth
and crowded conditions in st. Peters
burg Fla. My knowledge OF condl-
lions iustiies me in saying that II Hen
Jacksonville had put forth b enort
that the people I'm st. Petersburg nave
nut forth, HendersonVille would be a
much more important resort city ina
ST Petersburg. We have many ad-
vantages that st. Petersburg a not,
while st. Petersburg has overcome
enormous difficulties that we have mo-
got to contend with, and after all any
intelligent citizen of st. Petersburg
will tell us that our natural I've
ages are far i'm excess of theirs. st.
Petersburg has done w things In a
most perfect way that we have no
done, but must do to succeed. One Is
that tourists must betreated as guests,
they must have attention. The other
is. they must be treated and must have
1 entertainment. Every man exerts
, himself to please his guests and every
every successful tourist city exerts II
| self TO furnish entertainment for its
tourists. A man would have to traveI
many mile sand along time before ne
many miles and along time before
/ Hendersonville has, but unfortunately
! we have never organized u people 70
realize that they must be sociable and
show an interest in the tourists. This
requires organization and
It must have attention. Henderson,
vile made me realize that it possesses
the best opportunity to put in inexpen-
sive entertainment of any city i the
whole land. Our people seem to re-
alize that a golf course as a means OF
! attraction and entertainment is 1nd1s-
pensibIe. In this they are right. This
must come, but it is a thing requiring
timer money and management, and
something native cannot have for the
coming summer season. Therefore, the
next best thing should be adopted, and
if we hope to get tourists for the COM
ing season and keep them when we get
them. we must do more than furnish
them acceptable lodging n eatables.
This is essential, but it will not hold
them. Therefore. we should ask our
selves the question, what can we do
With our present facilities?
I have had much experience and
have for the last Is years spent much
l time, nv best thought and all the mon
ey l could get. along lines that wonlC
furnish recreation, amusement and en-
tertainment for the guests of Hender
, sonville. I have spent hundreds am
| hundreds of dollars in furnishing en-
| ltertainment at Laurel. Park, KNOWN
lat the time that II would not pay m
directly. My efforts, however, hav
produced conditions which will enabl
] me to say to the people of Henderson
n vile that with a very little expens'
Nil some thought and attention, the Boar
of Trade can organize committees b
which the most satisfactory entertain
= ments can be furnished. which wi
4 give most pleasure to the commltte
who undertake it. A well formed con
mittee could arrange for baseball; foo
ball and basket ball games to be playe
q mt Laurel Park without any investmel
whatever and at a very slight expen'
and done in a way that the people WI
ARE entertained would pay the expens
If this could be done, 1 would be gls
as my part of the contribution 10 p
in shape a baseba'' ground, a foot Da
field and a basket ball ground, SO Tn
u J the committees or clubs would ma