Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-07-05
VAST THRONCS SEE
.COUNTY'S PAGEANT
AT STARVED ROCK
SEATS START TO
TREMBLE BUT COOL HEADED
AUDIENCE FILES FROM DAN
GER WITHOUT INJURY.


over five thousand people gathered
inside the canvas enclosure to at
tend the La Sale county pageant, yes
. terday afternoon at Starved Rock,
filling all the seats, and even the
standing room. Shortly after the
pageant had started two of the bleach
ers Of reserved seats which were
crowded with people started to give
way. one OF the seats breaking. Had
they have fallen there would without
doubt have been many injured. This
Of the seats noticing their danger and
at once ordering the seats vacated.
/ The audience showed great presence
OF mind, and instead Of making
mad rush for the ground. filed of the
seats slowly and without any evl-
aence uf Panic Had there been
mad rush for the ground, without
doubt the seats would have gone
down, carrying with them dozens OK
helpless victims, AS 1t was not one
person on The whole tier Of seats was
injured
The crowd was so large 1t was al.
most unmanagabe and the hundreds
OF people who had been seated on the
bleacher had to go to the front of
the audience and find seats on the
ground causing slight confusion for
a few minutes.
The arena was on the level place
just in front of the hotel, and the
people taking part walked from the
groupe of trees in the background,
for the stage. The best talent in the
whole county had been gathered to-
gether and trained for the past six
weeks, under the direction OF Mrs.
Florence Magill Wallace. Miss Nina
Johnson had trained the dancers and
. Mrs. Elizabeth Knchloe, who staged
the wonderful Ottawa pagean, given
at the high school a few weeks ago,
trained the people having the i'm.
, portan speaking parts, and several
of the very picturesque groupes OF
children We're also trained by her
, and had been previously used in the
, Ottawa pageant.
Some of the pretty dancers train
: ed by Miss Laura Hayes, and used
, very effectively by her in her Spring
/. pageant at the Armory in April, were
, used jus, as effectively and beautiful
ly in the pagean, yesterday. DR.
a Dana M. Palmer trained the Indians
p in their speaking parts and wrote
n over the original manuscript tor the
( indians.
4 At the beginning of the pageant
r Judge II. W. Johnson, chairman o
4 the La Sale county pageant, made
I very excellent Centennial talk, tell
q ing of the history of the state an(
h the history of the flag.
. The role of Baby Illinois was tax
Il en- very excellenty by little lrm;
Il O'Conor, who was carried onto tn,
# stage by groupe Of rose dancer
q In big pink rose bud and the roll
4. of Miss Illinois was taken by Mis-
Marion Palmer, who made Il very dc
r. mure and picturesque picture IN he
II white gown, as she was crowned
70 state. Miss Leila Lincoln was ms
q ture Illinois and was escorted by
" groupe of godesses, gowned in white
i'd and carrying palm leaves.
!, The groupes of young girls gSyin
10 the various aesthetic dances WEI
IN very pleasing. and it would be in
no possible to say which of thes
groupes, or which of the numerot
solo dancers, who performed so grac
fully and beautifully, were the best
The people In the leading par
were all excellent and displayed the
talent in very advantageous ma
ner.
General T. s. Grant made his a
pearance riding ON horse, as d
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Continued on Page 4, Col 81