GARRISON BAND BAZAAR.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLVI, Issue 75, 25 March 1912, Page 5

GARRISON BAND BAZAAR.

OPENING PROCEEDINGS, OFkNWNI* fJiui/

A SUCCESSFUL EVENT.

■ The sound of revelry, and incidentally of current coin of the realm, commenced in the Town Hall on Saturday afternoon. In the evening it, had swelled to a very large circumstance indeed. If the Garrison''Band's Bazaar lacks anything at all, «>; uncertainly not animatedness, or_pubhc interest. In fact, the To^HaU proved to be not nearly capacious enough ifor the affair when, it reached its : climacteric at night time. The_ ground floor was crowded to excess; the gallery overflowed with spectators;, and the eager witnesses of -the dancing, which is such a popular feature of the ©xtensive stock of attractions^ rubbed elbows with the orchestra aiid looked oyea- each other's shoulders in the wings of the stage. _x-»-/' INAUGURAL FUNCTION.^ But to commence at the beginning. The Bazaar—which is to extend over the week, and possibly two extra.days —was formally opened during the afternoon by Major Rogers, In -front of a number of leading citizens,-who occupied seats on the stage., ( •*. The objects of the Bazaar were,explained by Mr W. J. Girlmg,- Chairman of the Finance Committee, Addressing a considerable number of the public, Mr Girling said that the purpose was to raise funds to enable the. Band, to establish a band-room, and also, if possible, to buy new .instruments. The Territorials requiring^ the sole use of the Drill Shed,.the.Band had to seek new -quarters, arid ,the Borough Council, recbgriismg the worthiness of the Band, had given it a section of land on which to erect a practice-room. The Band; was /nowcoming to the people of the'tbwn/ and district and asking ,them : to help at to raise the necessary funds. '....Hfti understood that the cost of the proposed building would be about £200. , The expenses of;the Bazaar would be ; very considerable, and it was.-to be hoped that: the public would liberally -respond. •■.-'^. /" -•'■: ■}:''■/-■ '''-'ViV Mr Girling read telegrams and letters from Sir Joseph Ward> Si* J.oshua Williams, Mr 11. McCallum, £M,P., the Mayors of Bleritem/'.a^d. Pjfctoh, and;Mr^Et: McA>rtn^; *egr.ettangvtherrv inability to attend |h,e/ f uhctioii and wishing th© movement, success, v^,/ , ■■>. Major Rogers ,said he understood ■thai the Garrison Band had {beejiin ; existence for 35 or 37 years. ■■; He .remembered the.first formation,.,of;the:•. Bandi \ withi y?hich he ha^v beenVias-. sociated in .military' matters} mpr^ or less, ever- since. ■ ■;. T,he B?ind .wa?., l , npw1 j making tlie biggest Ja^^aVj^jshe,ppbr lie that it had ever; niade, jaxiji ;;' he hoped it would succeed.^ 5 Th^, Rand's revenue consisted of: a smatt,^mourit of eapHatioii, \vhich ' 'hardly .enough to riay fqr;th©; ; ,.w|n^(il: ; ! wtth; which the instruments were i; blo\yn, and of whatever moneys it.coMd raise j :by_imeans of its own exertions.'^ ,^WitK this income the Band had to find its instruments and uniforms, arid keep the management going.; The upkeep of, the instruments was an expensive thing in itself; he did npC think that a complete set of. instruments' f could be obtained for less;than:£4oo;' 'The Bands of some towns were fortttnate enough to possess the practical1 sympathy of .the citizens,, who; assisted the musicians with ■ donations.;' *•" He oommended this form; of generosity to tlie cijtizens of Blenh©i&^. a;nd would ask them to believe that, an^y; cheques they cared, to forward very helpful. Tlie hall that ,the'fßanfl: now wished.to erect was. an absoliite, necessity. The Band.was fully/.Wbrthy'.of/ support; it had' alway's;:\been-'7inost>': liberal in lending its seryices,^ public' and charitable objects j aji<^ it was an advantage . and a cr^cjit "tiio'"'tih'e. town. lie -thought th9.t 'Ihe'J piiblib might well, come forward^, and maie the Bazaar a financial success;«■.; " t He. had much pleasure in formally dieclar;ing th© Bazaar open. , "; v-

THE VARIOUS ATTRACTIONS

The Bazaar has. more than - one string to its bow. It represents-many ingenious ideas and the work 6f many willing hands, and is characterised by a wide diversity of interest. It is a medley of trading, music, dancing:, humor, competitive quips and quirks; and general. festivity, through -the merry scheme of which the quaintlydressed' lottery , girls flit untiringly, threading it withl color. >Fhe Mtteiy sirens', wlio have adopted the) mediae^ yal riaode, are iiTesistible. " was the face patch ljot-carried forward from the romantic pastf . \ ' ; The Bazaar even boasts of a newspaper ! ■ The name of this ''enterprising'journalistic luminary is "The; Garrison- Bee." • Its vocabulary 'is .es?sentially its own, and its., polic^r—as is explained in an editorial .containing some distinctly pyrofcfechnical: language—is to, "buzzy" abouti and try to make things "hum.".f:."-. The opening number contained-a lot of racy topical fun, in addition to the programme of the evening, and was in popular request. There" is everreason to believe that the, "little; busy •bee" will continue to make its i>resence felt. ._.' Another effective conception is, the ■ "Art Gallery," which contains many wittily-designed parodies. Then there are a shooting gallery, "Aunt Sally'," and a variety of miscellanies of that ilk. / The list of stalls, with the names of their holders, is as follows:—Produce, Mr E: Rose; Flowers, Misses Hadfield and G. Holdaway,; Kitchen and Plain Sewing, Mrs Thomas and Miss O'Sullivan; Toys and Fancy Goods. Mesdames Forrest, Reeves, and Tunnicliffe; Lollies, Misses McAllister and Patchett; Japanese Stall, Mr Ban well and Miss Ching; One Shilling Stall. Mrs Curry and Miss .Alice O'Sulliven; Hat and Bag Stall, Mrs Rose and Mrs Evatt; "Tea Rooms, Mrs W. E. Clouston.

, The management of the Baizaar is of a capable order, and reflects credit on Mr S. A. Edinger, the secretary, Bandmaster Forrest, and their many assistants. THE DANCING. The Terpsichorean department- of the Bazaar contributes in an essential degree to the attractiveness of the

event. It may be unhesitatingly said j that no better exposition of stage cdancing has been seen in Blenheim; j and to say that is to give no small | amount of praise to Professor Card-. ! ston, for Blenheim, has mot been with/ ; out worthy antecedents in this *€- spect. There are many who think that Professor Cardston has gone one better. He has, in fact, done wonders in a short space of time with a large-school of raw material, and-his achievement is all the more notable as his tuition was not restricted to a 1 few dances, but has covered an extended repertoire, which comprises a sufficient number f creations to enable him completely to change his programme every night. A tribute is also due to the intelligence and enthusiasm of the performers, who number not less than 180 adults and children, the youngest being a "tot" or only three summers. The dressing of the various ballets and soena is appropriate, diverse, and effective, and j the aggregate wardrobe of the per- ' formers represents no small amount of ! expenditure and preparation. About ' twenty different dances were present>ed on Saturday night. The opening number, "The Frolics of the Japanese Billikins," was instinct with Oriental j piquancy, and nothing better was seen ; I during the night than the charming j ! scena representative of cherry bloss<^n f • time in Japan. A popular figure in j ! this presentation was that of little j fPettie Ball, three and a half years of i age, whose alert intelligence im- ! mediately won the hearts of the spec- : tators. The solosist was Miss Pattie ■i Elliot, a finished danseuse, who was I warmly encored. A quaint fancy was I "The Strike of the Washerwomen," : in which a number of little mites went I through various evolutions that were ! clever to a degree." The Anchorage," •in which 40 boys aridjzirls were assembled', was a fayor,ite item', meri- ': torious in both design and execution. j Then there was "The Suffragettes' j March on Blenheim," which- was full !of color and movement. A creation ') that earned high favor was "The Sumi mer Ballet," which comprised a i "Dance de Floritz," a "Dance de Spring," and a "Lily-Ballet." The number was characterised by excellent scenic effect and by gracefulness of execution, and evoked hearty ap-' plause. "Ye Old English Gavotte," rendered by a number of adults,; was; ~ icharacterised;by ; fidelity; of iedstuining-; and by charming daintiness"of action ..'■ A piece .de resistance was "The Lancaster Mill Girls .^at Play i" in whiclv a large, number of performers executed a.maze' of ©volutionsi, y Vwith much histrionic,effect./ "Glide Away," a skating act j in whicK' ' a 'dozen performers /.topfc^vpartV^'oatpr'' tivated the spectators, and the ''Parisians of the Spree" was an excellent notion. The grand fipale and leau en masse taxed the full accomr: , modation of the: stage j ancl made an-, impressive scene. '"■■■':.'S' ' Individual performers on whom special responsibility rested were Miss Pattie Elliot, whose, expert, dancing was much admired, and wno rendered the solos in som6 of the presentations ; and Miss , Nellie Strickland and' Mr \ Cyril Lambert j who danced and sang the dual item ' 'The Betrothal with ability and verve, winning a recall. The nature of Professor Cardston's success may, be judged from the that he proposes to present an entirely new programme each, night. , ; .> A' capable orchestra accompanied the dances. Its members axe Miss Mason^ (pianist). Mr Stanley Tunnicliffe (first violin), Mr Reeves (cornet), and Mr E. H. Matthews (clarionet). Prior to the commencement of the dance programme on Saturday night the Garrison, Hibernian, and Pictpn Brass Bands ' ■ march,ed en masse thrdugh town and rendered selections in front of the Hall.