The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-05-01
MANY ATTEND ALL PROGRAMS
Civic Clubs of Topeka Hell
Make Show a Success.
Hundreds of TOpekans Took
Part in Historical Pageants.

way along last winter, when the
members of the Topeka Merchants
association concluded that a spring
FESTIVAL of some sort would act as a
tonic on Topeka industry, business
ana general life, one of the first ques-
IONS winch arose was. naturally,
what dates to select for the event, not
even named as yet
committee was appointed to start
the plans for the festival. The wealth
ere the status of farm work, and other
idCtors We're taken into consideration
when the committee started to fix the
date. The committee felt that the
pageant should be held some time in
the spring months.
Solemnly they visited the office of
,. D. Flora, state meteorologist, to
consult him.
Now it is a peculiar thing about
Flora. It is very difficult to get him
to answer a direct question as to what
he thinks the weather viii be like at
any given date in the future Years
OF familiarity with the weather have
taught him that you can't never tell"
He has learned the limits of prognos-
tication's possibilities, and he doesn't
try to transgress those limits.
The daily weather forecasts which
are published from Flora's office. by
the way, are made up in Chicago.
Flora does not make them up here,
altho he gets all the blame when the
picnic is spoiled and the forecast
misses. nN twelve hours or so. Iu6
brand of weather which is actually on
tap at a given time.
Committee Called OH Flora.
SO the committee called on Flora
He invited their attention to the rec
ords which have been kept, for the
past forty years or so, of every day in
Topeka-how much sunshine. rain,
wind and temperature, the exact data
are available for every day since the
weather office was established here
noe TnT-avn
own conclusions Flora said in effect.
And the solemn committee COM
menced an exhaustive perusal of the
pnderous tones.
Calculations. tabulations, COMPARE
sons. and every other test applied to
the record, show that of all the five
day periods in the spring months, for
the past forty years, the period be-
tween April % and April 80, has been
the most free of rain. The indisput-
able evidence-eYidence which is ad-
Missile in a court of law-said that
the chances of rain in that period were
the Iightest of any period in the spring
months.
The committee. rejoicing. set their
dates. And J. Pluvius wunk his other
eye. double crossed that committee,
and done it dirty.
Somewhere around a million times
the committee members. the harassed
secretary of the association, the gem
oral directors of the Pageant and in
IlOCGnt DNSTanueTS, nave Deen asked
why the this that an thevother thing
did you pick them dates?" The ans
wer is found above. All the resources
Of meteorology and all the records
of past performances point to the
dates selected as the logical dates, and
then the weather demonstrated once
more that man proposes, but
Pageant Was a Success.
The first Topeka Pageant of Pro-
gress is history now. And the exhibit
IL l. -, Al
agreed that it was a success. in spite
of the handicap of the weather. The
final day of the Pageant Saturday.
made up in attendance, interest, and
results secured, for the bad luck of
the first three days.
The attendance at the programs
civer during the afternoons and eve
nings in the city auditorium. was all
that could be desired. And the shows
merted the attendance The after
noon programs were staged by four OF
the leading civic clubs of the city
the Rotary club, the Kiwanis club,
the COOPERATIVE club. and the Wo-
The cast of several hundred To-
pekans who took part in the historical
paEeants and ballets in the evenings.
at the auditorium, merited the support
Of the crowds which attended that fea-
ture.
And on the last afternoon and eve
ming of the Pageant, the Court of
Commerce, lined with the display
booths of Topeka dealers, gave oppor-
tunity to more Topekans to see what
the merchants of their own city have
for sale. than the window displays
along Kansas avenue have attracted
in many months.
Assurance is given by the Mer-
chants association and the dealers
who assisted in the presentation of the
first Pageant of PROCESS, that the af-
fair will be repeated each year in the
future It is the intention of the
association to make the Pageant of
Progress to the springtime, what the
Kansas State Free Fair is to the fall,
in Topeka.