BAND FETE AND BABY SHOW.

Evening Star, Issue 12965, 9 November 1906, Page 4

BAND FETE AND BABY SHOW.

To the thoughtful person, or cluster of thoughtful persons, who set the band fete project on King’s Birthday afloat the community arc indebted as specifically ae they arc indebted generally to the local bands, which do so much to brighten-up public holidays and occasions of public ceremonial. For wliatevcr the strong and admirable points of Dunedin may be on the whole, it can hardly be denied that the City, if loft to itself, would make a somewhat woful and melancholy holiday. Wlien one thinks what is meant by a holiday in Paris, for instance —Paris, with the cafes, and the bands, and the public spectacles, and all the gay life of the boule-vards—-when one comes to think of all the Old World holidays, or even the holidays of less remote metropoli such as Melbourne and Sydney, tho feeling that Dunedin dismally and wears its mantle awkwardly at holiday time can luirdly be resisted, and tho more these things axe thought of the more the feeling grows. Therefore, anything that in any way tends to brighten up our holidays is a- thing to he welcomed, to be patronised, and to be in every feasible way encouraged. In its on wav. the band fete and baby show fills the bill, and it is gratifying to note that it is an institution which lias come to stay. R*->t year the combined bands netted nearly ±,Ju on tho fete, and the thousands of people who were at the Gardens this afternoon gave indication that that mui re equalled, if not beaten. -| s , years, tho bands assembled at tho Octagon about 1 p.m.. and starting at intervals of a Quarter of an hour, played their way to the Gardens, enlivening the streets with their merry strains. The Citizens Band (Bandmaster R. Cook) marched first, and was followed by the Morning-ton, Kavals , Kaikorai. and Garrison Bands, the respective bandmasters being R- omith, A. Scbnack, G. B. Raidlaw, and Bicutenant b George. On arrival at the Gardens cadi band Slaved a march, and a capital ™sical program mo was carried out afterwards. 1 xho competitions which figured on the bill in previous years were tbw year aboidled the Committee feeling that it was de irable to avoid tho monotony msf pirati e from the repetition of the same selection, us must be tlic c--.se in competitions. A fair quantity of what is sometinu6 termed ‘•popular” imric found a place in the pro(.^xi',,.rs and in this the Committee undoubtedly look a step in the. right direction Tho principal items c the idternoon xvoie as follow:—Overture, -Roderick Dim.’ Citizens’ Band; quartet, ‘Reapers chorus ’ Mornington band; so’ectton, Genu of evergreen melody,’ Kavals' Band ; quaifit, ‘ I.es Hugu- n Is. Kaikorai Band ; selec* lion, ‘Country girl,’ Garrison Band ; item, ■ The jolly coppersmiths,’ Citizens’ Band ; overture,"‘The silver cross.’ Mormnpton Band : selection, ‘ Poet peasant.’ Kaikorai B rid ; iniiuiot for reel's, ‘ Rose,’ Garrison Band ; mid a selected piece by the Navals’ Band. As lias been tho ease in preceding years, the baby' show , w^ 5 J matter of abeoibinr intercut, c pecially tr those mothers whose little boys and girls had boon entered. Tho enclosure ill the centre of tho Gardens where tho judging ivas done wen the cyno ure of hundreds oi ev-.s, ami, indeed, ‘it was difficult to approach the hard-working secretaries, who were kept pretty busy taking the names. Dr Butomciu, as isted by a. well-known local lady, acted an judge. The general arrangements of the fete wore in the hands of Missis T. Barton and A. Reid, and were creditably carried out. Among the side-shows this year wan a shooting gallery. which received duo patronage.