The Coconino sun., 1924-03-21

Men and women, trailblazers of civ
iliZation who came to Arizona in the
early days and remained to see the
struggling little bard of hardy pio-
neers develop cheerless waste into a
fertile and productive region in which
thousands have found homes, health
and happiness, will be the guest of
honor at the fourth annual pioneers
reunion sponsored by the Arizona Re-
publican April 8 and 9.
Not only are the pioneers of the
Salt River valley to be invited, but
those hardy pioneers of other sections
of the state will also gather in Phoe-
nix to meet old friends and exchange
"reminiscences of the days when the
howl of the coyote and the yell of the
hostile Indians who roamed the state
were common sounds which broke the
stiffness of the desert nights.
For four years The Arizona Repub-
lican has sponsored the annual reun-
ion and has received the pioneers of
the state as its own guests and now
greater preparations are being made
than ever before for the event which
has become one of the biggest jubi-
lees of the year.
Already the program committee is
busily engaged in formulating an en-
tertainment program, which members
OF the committee declare will be bet
ter in every respect than ever before.
Every feature of the program will be
along the lines which the pioneers
knew in the days of their youth. Old
fashioned fun and entertainment are
assured the pioneers who attend the
affair which is for every resident of
Arizona who has lived in the state
for 35 years.
The only thing modern about the
program viii be the automobiles which
will bear the old-timers to and from
Riverside park where the celebration
viii be held again this year. The au-
tomobiles will pick up the pioneers
at The Republican office and take
them to the park and when the days
activities are over will take them to
their stopping places in the city. All
this viii be free to the pioneers.
The feature of the affair will be a
real old fashioned "Down South" bar
becue dinner such as many of the
trail blazers" remember as the out
standing events of their lives when
they we're younger. The services of
one of the best barbecue cooks who
ever came to Arizona has already been
secured by The Republican and the
pioneers are assured of one of the best
feeds" that has ever been served in
the Salt River valley.
There is only one qualification and
that is that every person attending
bn CT o-i
of this state for the past 50 years. If
he can claim that many years res
idence he will be admitted to the Eel
lowship" of the pioneers.
Letters from pioneers Of the state
have already begun to come into The
Republican office making inquiries
relative to the date OF the reunion
and a bigger crowd is expected to
attend this year than ever before
Many of the pioneers who will be in
attendance this year have declared
that the dates Of the pioneers reunion
are virtually the only times during
the year when they attempt a long
journey and many aver that regard
less of the difficulties which they may
have to overcome in order to attend
that they are going to make special
efforts to be here during the reunion.
A large portion of the program has
been set aside for the exchange of
experiences. Old Indian fighters,
freighters, prospectors, cattlemen and
all the other characters that were
prominently associated with the early
history of the state will be given
chance to recount their experiences.
These "reminiscences have been feat
ures of the three reunions held prev
iously and are looked forward to with
great interest by those who know
what is in store for them.
One of the features of the program
will be the dance, not the new-fangled
sort, but the old-fashioned square
dance where lone fiddler" furnishes
the music, will be produced again at
the reunion with the same provision
that guns and spurs be parked at the
door in order to avoid entanglements
and possible rioting. Pioneers who
haven't danced since reunion last year
have already made known their inten-