The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1918-10-02
MAYOR GREEN
VISITS BELD|NG
WITH JACKIE BAND
TREATS BELDING FOLKS TO A
VISIT FROM BIG BAND AFTER
PROGRAM WAS CHANGED.

Well, Belding had visit from the
famous Great Lakes Jackie band just
the same even though Spanish influ-
enza broke out among the band which
was scheduled to play at this city and
kept them from coming here and at
other places where they had been
scheduled for The band reached
here about $40 o'clock Monday after
noon coming in autos from Ionia,
where their schedule had brought
them for a considerable portion of the
day. There were 80 of the boys and
they presented fine sight with their
beautiful instruments and the music
which they dispensed was well worth
hearing and greatly pleased the peo-
pie.
1 To Mayor Fred w. Green of Ionia,
must be gwen the credit of getting
the Jackie band to come here. The
band arrived at Ionia earlier in the
day and played there. Ionia had
many places where the boys could
have been taken but Mayor Green,
knowing that the cancellation of the
schedule cf the band which was to be
here Tuesday night was a keen disap-
pointment to local people, made up his
mind to bring the boys over to Beld-
ing and give the people or as many
of them as he could on short notice,
the treat of having the. band play
here. He called up Secretary Byron
f. Brown of the board of commerce
and others here and the news of the
bands visit was spread so that at the
time that they arrived, a crowd of
perhaps 1000 people were on hand to
hear them. All of the silk mills and
factories were closed in rider that the
employees might turn out to the event.
B. +. Hall acted as chairman of the
meeting and he introduced ex-State
Senator w. w. Potter, who was with
the band and who talked to the gath
ering on the urgent need of buying
bonds to aid in carrying on the war.
He was followed by ex-Congressman
Gerrit j. Diekema, we'll known here,
who gave a very good and patriotic
talk to the people along the same
lines as Mr.. Potter, only that he took
up more time and dwelt on the indi-
vidual duty of each person in buying
bonds. Mr.. Diekema pointed out
several instances where great acts of
patriotism had been performed by
people in meagre means and said that
the man who could buy $500 in bonds
and who bought less than that, was
not JUST WHdL ne OukuI W Dc- ne
gloried in the unity which we have in
this nation and with no north, no
south, no protestant, no Catholic, but
a strong and unified nation, we would
not only be able to go over the top
in subscribing this Fourth Liberty
loan, but would be able to watch the
boys go over the top over there in
the drive toward Berlin.
The speaking was done from the
steps at the west tower entrance of
the white mill and the band boys play
ed several selections which brought
forth splendid applause from the
crowd. The band boys, who were
aboard Pere Marquette train which
left Ionia about o'clock, left here by
auto about ABS and were calculating
to catch the train at Ionia.
Mayor Green, the people of Belding
thank you most heartily for your
most thoughtful consideration of them
in the matter Of bringing the Jackie
band to our city and We want you to
know that we appreciate your action
in this regard most heartily.