The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-08-15
SAVANNAH GIVES PARK
! TO WAR CAMP SERVICE
Garden Parties for Men in Uniform
Payemcnts Ropcd on for Dancing.
Free Refreshments.

Savannah, Ga. Aug. y14.--Dancins
In the street at Savannah, Ga, on any
Wednesday night are sailors In the
uniforms Of all our allieA, American
sailors and marines with many civil
ans and men from the shipbuildine
industries. Not that the men are dane
ing with each other. Not at all, for the
well-known hospitality OF the South
is in full swing and the scene is one
OF the garden parties planned and
arranged for by the war camp com
munity service of the war and navy
departments commissions on training
camp activities. working in that beau
tiful city
Savannah, always famous for its
beautiful parks with their rich tropi-
cal palms. ferns aud lush
grass--has set aside one park for the
war camp garden parties. The park
was turned over by the city park com
mission and the city authorities have
CO. operated with the war camp or
ganiZation to make the garden festi-
walls wholly delightful affairs. The
streets surrounding the park are roped
off from automobile traffic and every
Wednesday evening from s to IL
o'clock the park is full of Savannah
hostesses and sailor and civilian
guests.
Five Thousand Guests.
An average Of Ave thousand guests
is the record so far. about five hun
dred OF whom are men in, uniform.
savannah is not camp city. there
being only a few thousand men in
service stationed In the vicinity OF the
city. besides the sailors who come into
port But there are always varied
uniforms enough to lend to the parties
a thoroughly cosmopolitan air.
Prominent womeE's clubs and other
organizations Of the city are called
upon by the war camp community
service TO act as hostesses. their chief
duty being to see that every soldier.
square is served with refreshments
as often as he feels the need. Pre-
sumably the need is frequently recur-
ring, as al the last fete twenty seven
gallons of Ice cream and forty gallons
of punch were consumed during the
evening The refreshments are of
course, free to the men In uniform
but civilian guests pay usual charges
Hospitality Includes Girls.
A further duty of the hostesses is
to see that the guests from any branch
OF our own or allied service meet
some of the hundreds OF girls who
swarm through the park. For the
American and English contingents the
problem is simple and also IL Is fairly
simple for the French, as many OF
Savannah's daughters speak French
like native Parisiennes But recently
group of Italian sailors found their
way to the park and looked wistfuiiy
on al the gavety. Discovering that
they were Italians the chairman of
the war camp committee hurried
about until he located an italian fami-
ly in the neighborhood who were In
vited TO join the sailors and explain
to them that the party plus refresh
ments were at their disposal.
Frenchmen PLAY with Children.
Another delightful feature of these
fetes is the playing Of d-fashioned
games under the direction OF new
fashioned trained play leaders. One
section of the street Is roped Off
especially for the children. and often
the fathers and mothers and entire
families join in the play The French
sailors are especially fond OF our ring
games and many who do not know
how to dance in American fashion
prefer the goold old folk games which
with slight variations, are common to
the whole world.
A colored band is employed to play
throughout the evening and on the
asphalt adjoining the park thousands
OF couples are to be seen dancing.