Putnam patriot., 1926-05-28

whole town could be proud of. !"
 nc next step m advancing the plan was Co send out invitations to all heads of organizations in the city to meet m the Chamber of Commerce rooms for the purpose of formulating plans for a celebration to include the formal dedication of the new bridge. To this invitation there was a ready response. and the small Chamber of Commerce committee soon los { it's identity, as it was planned that it should. becoming merged in q general committee composed of representa- tives of all local organizations.
 Then followed meetings and more meetings. There were plans and fur ther plans. IL was a mammoth under taking and it grew in proportion week by week. But no one turned a deaf ear when asked to help. The commit tee became a smoothly working ma chine. each member having his or her part assigned to them and doing what was needed to be done.
 When the matter of financing the event was broached it was suggested that the voters be appealed to- This was done, and there was not a dissent ing voice in the town meeting when the appropriation asked was made. As the time of the celebration grew near CT, meetings were held almost nightly, and every possible detail of the big days event was anticipated and taken care of in advance.
 You ali know the result High state officials. including His Excellen- cy, John H. Trumbull, the governor of Connecticut, were guests. High rank ing officers of the army and navy came to our city. Never had Putnam seen such procession of military and civic organizations. Never had it seen the crowds that appeared to join in our celebration. Putnam was the outstand- ing city in the state. possibly in New I England, on Armistiee Day. 1925. It was a wonderfully we'll planned and well executed undertaking. The re- suit was one we are all proud to re- member, and the Putnam Chamber of Commerce may we'll fell gratified at the important part it took in it's sue cess, as we'll as to feel a just pride that 1t was an outgrowth of it's own i original conception. Much might be written on this accomplishment alone.
 Shenandoah Flag System One of the resulting. continuing. benefits of the Armistice Day eelebra- tion is the permanent system of flag decoration the city now has. The mat ter of decoration was one of the most important to be considered Every time there has been a public celebra- tion f has cost our merchants hun dreds of dollars to decorate. consid- erable financial burden for them to assume.
 To solve this problem and to re- lieve the merchants of this burden. the merchants committee made an inves- tigation of the Shenandoah system of flag decorating. and was so much pleased with it that it was adopted. The expense was small and the decor ations are permanent This system is a uniform system Of flags put out along the edge of the sidewalk, pri- marily in the business section, but also suitable for the residential section as we'll The flags are set in sockets in the sidewalk. arranged for this pur- pose. The city may now be decorated at a moments notice, without a penny of expense. This is a very important accomplishment of the year. as it will mean thousands of dollars in the poek- cts of Putnam merchants as the years pass. The system was first used Ar mistice Day and was greatly admired.
 Headquarters Go. Field Day The merchant members of the Cham Der eooperated with the Headquarters Company in their annual Field Day June 9th. Many prizes were donated and every possible assistance afforded the officers and men of Putnam's s mil itary organization This created a most friendly feeling on the part of the company toward the merchants.
 Memorial Day
 When it appeared that interest was tagging in Memorial Day. 1925. and it looked as if no other organization would take the initiative. the Cham Der of Commerce appointed a commit tee to confer with Dr F. r. Perry of the American Legion. and others. which resulted in all soldiers graves being properly marked and decorated Members of your board of directors took part in the days work.
 Membership Campaign
 4 word about membership. The new year started with enthusiasm and