South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1921-06-23
CITY RECREATIONAL
COMMITTEE REPORTS
FILED BY DIRECTOR
Col. Bullock Reviews Activi-
ties of Department and
Tells of Plans.

school administration building
Wednesday night. gives the activi-
ties In the Fairgrounds OF South
Bend and the work completed by
the garden department OF the pub
lie schools.
The following Is the report made
by the municipal recreational di-
rector, Col. c. T. Bullock:
The following Fairgrounds have
been opened under qualified super
visors. all OF whom. with the excep-
ton OF one. have had direct super
vision Of Fairgrounds in other years.
either In South Bend or elsewhere.
The Fairgrounds now in operation
are: Franklin, restricted to boys
and girls under Il years OF age.
Howard park; Haley, school and
parK; Leeper park: Lincoln; Mu~s-
sci, where a new backslop has LacC
Get in place for the NV diamond.
The Muessel playground is restricted
to boys and in the evening there are
special attractions for young men.
The J. d. Oliver field. as mentioned
In my former report, 10 in better
shape than it has been for some two
or three years. The pipes that were
Installed for sprinkling the grounds
had been allowed 10 rust and sag
from the strappings This has all
been repaired. The running track
and the jumping ground, for pole
vaulting. have been put into first
class order and are in great demand
Altogether there are five diamonds
for indoor ball. a full size regulation
diamond. four tennis courts and a
volley ball court laid out on the
grounds. Arrangements have been
made for a more general use Of the
shower baths. certain hours being
set aside for children and certain
hours for adults. Perley, Pottawat-
omie and Studebaker Iarks and
Washington school are also i'm
proved in many ways.
Perhaps the most interesting part
OF my report will be in bringing to
the committee the good news that
arrangements for the Camp Fire
Girls outing at Pleasant Lake are
about completed. The Rotary, XII
wants and Lions clubs have been
asked to make up what IS lacking
and I have hopes that all our eXpec-
tatiOns will be realized. If our plans
can be carried out it will be possible
to give about 200 girls a week 3 out
ing at an expense Of not more than
three dollars a week for each girl.
Another new feature of the work
for this summer will be the taking
over of the supervision of the
wading pool in Leeper park. 1t may
be set down as indisLutable that
wherever there are groups of young
sters gathered there is one of them
who is the leader. Everything de-
Ponds upon the kind Of leadership.
The park board promises US every
thing that could be desired in the
way Of cooperation toward making
this the best year that the recrea-
ton work in the city has ever had.
THE use Of the pool Will be re-
stricted 10 boys of not more than 10
years Of age and TO girls OF not more
than u or IS years and swimming
will be taught TO the Riddles" by a
competent instructor.
The garden work of the city
under the direction of the munich
pal recreation committee has been
successful this spring. in spite Of the
cold. frost, and the past two weeks
of drouth. Efforts have been con-
centrated upon school and back yard
gardens to such a degree that 1882
plots are being cultivated by school
children alone. while the number of
back yard gardens worked by adults
will exceed that of the season of
1920. In u Of the city schools gar
den teachers under the direction of
the garden supervisor were en-
rloyed from the first of March to
June Il. Lessons on garden plan
ming. preparation and cultivation OF
the soil. and care Of garden through
the season We're given in the school
buildings with practical demonstra-
uons carried on in the gardens. One
of the interesting phases OF this
work has been the soil tests made
and results obtained by proper treat
ment OF ground showing acidity and
absence of elements necessary to
food plant development In some
school districts the residents are till
ers Of the soil by birthright, the chill
dren inheriting that trait thus MAX
ing the work of the supervisor and
teacher a pleasure.
Seeds TO the amount Of s277.4O
were sold to the children in the
schools, orders having been taken
through the teachers and then dis
tributed by them. As most Of these
seeds are sold in penny packages
q. 2, 3 cents per pack)-One can
readily see that the ordering. han
ding. asserting and overseeing the
planting Of is not so small a task
The garden department OF the
municipal recreation committee
feels that a wonderful interest has
been created in the children for
gardening. These junior gardeners
are learning by doing. getting whole
some outdoor exercise and are con
tributinC 10 the home supply Of
food during their youth and il is
safe 20 predict that children trained
in this way will develop into useful
citizens
ne CnlluIeu are 10 carry on
their work through the summer and
in the fall each one is &c have a
written report consisting of work
done. amount raised. amount sup
piled 70 home. amount sold. total
value OF garden and profit 10 the
gardener. Prizes are 10 be given to
children showing best results in the
work.
AN exhibit OF vegetables and
flowers raised BY the children IL -
be held in connection with that OF
the schools at the Interstate fair IN
September.
THE consuming pubic has taken
en- unusual interest in tie back ya~d
garden. but as the survey for the