The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1919-05-08
SUNDAY VISITORS
SEE FAIRYLAND
ACRES OF TREES IN FINE CONDITION
Agencies of Man and Nature Combine to
Present Blossoms at Their Best
To Thousands Of Guests

after you had said your PRAYERS and
she was tucking you in that night,
''GO to sleep. darling, and dream about
the fairies?" And you replied. MA
ma, | can see the fairies with my eyes
open.
1t was like that at Hood River Sun.
day. Those who came to the feast of
the apple blossoms-and it is estimated
that 4,500 journeyed over the Highway
saw fairyland in broad open day.
light. Looking back over the past
week it seems as if every agency of
man and nature had been busy to turn
the $4,000 acres Of Hood River orchards
into dreamland. About daybreak the
wind that for three days had driven
with chill mists and rain clouds from
the west, switched to the east and
then died to a calm. The sun ascended
in cloudless sky to drive away the
cold the night had left, and thus the
stage was set, with no properties miss
ing for the great spectacle of an Ore
gon orchard district in bloom.
After the 70-mile ride from Portland
up the gorge of the Columbia through
prodigality of grandeur, it might
naturally be expected that the days
JOY riders would have completely ex.
hausted the superlative CALCULATIONS of
their vocabularies. But it was not SO,
for when they passed the Hood River
valley gateway and spun through the
city out into the sea of blooms the
scene changed completely. In the pas
toral calm of the valley they forgot
TIE wildness of the Bridge of the Gods
OF st. Peters Dome, and after few
81 eechless moments one began to hear
whispered expressions of wonderment.
But for II. H, Haynes, of the Port
land Ad Club, Hood River might
thoughtlessly have enjoyed blossom
Sunday much alone. Early in the year
Mr.. Haynes suggested the event in a
letter to Truman Butler, who enthusi.
astically spread it to the Hood River
Commercial club. that the bursting of
the seasons apple blooms be formally
celebrated jointly by the members of
the two organizations III picnic here.
The festival was far in excess of
anything originally planned. The pub
licity given the proposed jaunt Of the
Ad Club seemed to have innoculated
all of Portland and Hood River, and
Ad Club members formed relatively
small part of the great crowd.
But the pleasures of the joint picnic
will for many days form topics for
pleasant "reminiscences for the mem
befs of both organizations, who with
their families assembled at noon at
Chautauqua park. Fragrant coffee.
made in huge wash boilers by Geo. |.
Slocom and j. II. Fredricy, masters
of campcraft, was dispensed to the
hungry picnickers. That the residents
of the metropolis and the Apple City
might become better acquainted. the
passengers of every car in the picnic
convoy were divided, half local and
half visitors.
The Ad Club committee responsible
for the success of the picnic consisted
of H. H. Haynes, Marshall N. Dana,
Todd Hazen. W. B. Dodson and G. W.
English. The welcoming Commercial
Club committee was composed of c.
W. McCullagh. Truman Butler, f. o.
Blanchar, E. z. Brett. j. H. Fredricy
j. f. Law and G. +. Gilbert.
The beauty of the blossoms won for
the district the name of "Valley of
Peace. Moving picture operators
were on hand to catch the colorng Of
bloom and the expression of those who
| admired. Indeed. one movy concern
came here Sunday especially to photo
graph orchards of the East Side and
groups of Pine Grove school children
engaged in May Pole dance The
films thus secured will form reel of
an Oregon made movy.
| Hotels, restaurants and resorts of
| the valley were never more crowded
than Sunday Yet, fully prepared,
they fed the hungry with minimum
of inconvenience. But the demands of
picnickers left bread famine
| Hood River Boy Scouts established a
camp at Ruthton hill at nine o'clock
and secured the census of the motor
vehicles arriving over the Highway.
| Their records show total of III auto
mobiles and 80 motorcycles and side
cars. 1t is estimated that more than
100 cars came up Saturday night. At
least SO had arrived before the Scout
camp was established. With hotel
rooms unavailable. scores Of visitors
were entertained Saturday night at the
homes Of public spirited citizens. A
corps of special policemen were on
duty in the city and at the intersec.
tions of main roads, not that they we're
needed to quell any disturbance, but to
direct drivers unfamiliar with local
roads. But a single accident was re-
ported for the day. Two large cars
collided on a bridge near Wau Guin
Guin. The damage was limited. how
ever, to battered tenders and broken
wheel.
In addition to the days motor We.
hicles. nearly all families entertained
week end guests. and practically all of
the $50 Hood River-owned automobiles
Joined the out of-town machines on
| jaunts of the valley. The odor from
motor exhausts intermingled with the
perfume of the apple blooms.
More than the perishab!e beauty of
the apple blossom was seen by the
orchardist-host Sunday. The thick
clustered sprays of pink and white are
prophetic of the community's most
prosperous year. With the great war
ended and world market again open
to the box apple of Oregon, second to
none in quality. the grower-owner of
those wonderful blooms celebrated the
day as one of promise. The occasion
furnished topic for the valleys min
listers. Indeed, Rev. 4. c. Newham
preached on Apples. expressing ir
his sermon thanksgiving for the new
hope of which the apple blooms are
emblematic.
Sunday night, comfortably tirec
after thier strenuous day of entertain
ment, apple grower, banker, hote
keeper, all retired ruminating on the
subject of good roads When the great
crowds rolled westward they carried
with them hearty invitations to re-
turn. And they are coming back anc
bring thousands of others with them
Hood River roads are not bad now. but
everywhere this week one hears Hooc
River pitickns resolyinJ To make their