PATRIOTIC GARDEN FETE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16259, 17 December 1914, Page 7

PATRIOTIC GARDEN FETE

GOOD WEATHER AND LARGE '"■ CROWDS. A SUCCESSFUL FUNCTION. All roads led to the Gardens yesterday. afternoon and evening. A big drop in the barometer, a dull, lowering eky, and sloppy etroete bodod ill at midday for the euoceee,. of the Patriotic: Rose and Garden Fete, the ,, proceeds of which were to be devoted to providing employment for those out of work owing to the war, and epent on improvements to the city reserves. But the fickle element* became more friendly after 1 o'clock, and at 2 patches of blue brightened the sky. Sfo the executive abandoned any. ideas they might have had of postponing , the fete, and the subsequent climatic conditions proved them weather-wise. The tooting of many pipe bands hi the' city led the people, liberated by the weekly ■ haff-lioliday, along George street to where, improvieed barricades barred the usua'ly open doors to the Gardens. Within, the •green lawns and shrubberies were rendered strange in appearance by the preeenoe of gaily decorated stalle and side shows. The . picturesque Maori summer house wae transformed for the time being into a post office, where attractive young ladies sold post-oards to those who wanted them—and, perhaps, to those who did not want them— and gave visitors an opportunity of letting their friends know that they had been to the fete by means of a special post mark. A marquee adorned with the insignia of . many toothsome brands of chocolate and ' confectionery would have lured the dourest * into indulgence in sweet edibles for once, • while " bine ribbon" bare were irresistible to the thirety. No man might walk the Gardens and retain hie self-reepeet had he not a bouquet in hie button-hole, -and the HortiouH-jiral Society was eager to supply him with one, for a consideration. There were many flowers in the society's marquee, and all were beautiful, but the roses caught the eye and .captured the admiration of the passer-by. Considering their beauty, they were extremely cheap. Skilled in cajoling epare cash from, the pockets of the unwary was the army of white-dressed young ladies, who invaded every spot, and - were determined to sell something am tola, poet-cards, flowers—to everyone. A smile and a pleasant word were thrown in with each purchase, and were a satisfactory make-weight. There was a good crowd in the aftw* noon, though not so large as that at last year's fete. It was the same in the evenThere wae again a big crowd, but last year's crowd was bigger. Still, there was a sufficiency of people present to make the fete go with a 6wing, and the spontaneous gaiety of the stallholders and workers was an important factor in die gaiety of the fete. The principal stallholders were as follows:— Floral Tent—Mr D. Tannock (convener), Mrs Smith, Mrs ShieU, Misses Rennie (2), Crow, Martin, RoUo, M'lntyre, Spedding, Smith, Murphy, Miesee Dagger, Fountain, Wall, Errington. Sweets.—Mrs J. Hendry, Mrs Sm*erland, Mrs Power, Misses Stewart, Bennett (2), Baff, Lindsay, Wingfield, Gibbs, Toomey, ■ Mulholland* Scott, James, Alexander, O'Shea, M'Cullough, Clark (2), Carson, Elliotts (2), M "Clary, Dyer, Clayton. Post-cards.—Mieses A. Foley, Phair (2), Scully, Farquharson, Ledley, Hastings (2), White, M'Master. One of the most charming features of the fete was the children's competitione, which . were held during the afternoon. Tho improvised fence that hemmed in a equare en- . closure was seriously threatened by the interested crowds that hung over it while the children, dr«secd according to various ingenious fancies, paraded in front of the judge*. A pale, elender boy, dressed in the white knee-breeches and navy blue coat with epau- • lettes of the navy of former days imper* .;■ sonated Lord Nelson with striking success^ ; , ~; and had no difficulty in winning the <• fancy dress competition. A quaint-looking "~ figure in white wae a baker, true to life in> -' miniature, and a bluff, cheerful-looking lad,. with an artificial ponderosity of figure, wae a laughable carrying out of the popular idea of that mythical personage, John Bull. A dear little curly-haired bov made a new*-paper-selling gamin of the kind dear to sentimental lady novelists, but never, unfortunately, met in real life, and had hard lack;,-;., in not getting a prize. The girls avoided' tho realistic in their make-ups, and went in for tho picturesquely or classically allegorical. The pick of a email tribe of entrants representing "Peace," by virtue of doves and wings and other things, won firet, prize, and another member of the same tribe came third. " The head of the family" wae an elaborate and really very good reprcH. eentation of Britain as head," presumably,;' of tho Allies, New Zealand being repre-irw eented by a patch on her tail, and wott,*r second prize. " Britannia," in the pereoo,.i of another entrant, held aloft her gildetr trident, and was lucky in being represented: '" by such a very pretty little girl, even though* ■' she did not get a prize. Titanias and Pocks • and Oberons and other ewift encirclers of tho earth abounded. In another section a' pretty youngster —it was astonishing what a lot of pretty youngsters there were—drove *• ' milk-white dog, harnessed with ribbons to.'*w: little carriage bedecked with roses, and woa-,; ] a, prize. It was a well-behaved little and ran away only once. A special prize vt , was awarded to the dainty little miss who'-' sat at tho steering wheel of her own little' aeroplane, and in an age of records eetab- , lished that of the youngest aviator who did .' not ascend. A pretty effect was obtained by ' a youthful sailor who eat in a blue- yachts built around a, tricycle, and tho bioyclee decorated with domes and festoons of flowers were all worth seeing. ; <■ . It would not have been by any means such a successful afternoon without the childreii, who rendered invaluable,assistance in "making things go with a swing. Exhibitions of club-swinging and dumb-bell drill were given by the boys of the Christian Brothers' School, and the Macandrew Road boys and girl* performed physical drill and marching evolutions respectively. The Forbury School •■ pupils tripped the pretty dance around the vlaypole, and graceful exhibitions of Highland and fancy dancing were given by the .pupiU of the Forbury, George street, Mornington, Arthur Street, and Albany Street Schools. Anyone who attended the fete and did not know the tune of "Tippcrary " was given no opportunity of remaining ignorant of the strains of that melody, which was played frequently, bv the various echool bands on the ground. Music was provided by tho Mornington, High • Street, Arthur Street, Maori Hill, Moray Place, George Street, Albany Street, and Forbury School fife and drum bands, which in themselves did wondere in preventing the element of, dullness from entering into the proceedings. In tho evening the people—espeoially the , young people—turned out in great force, and the attendance was much greater than fit had boon in tho afternoon. Then it was > ' that the sideshows, which had also been popular durirg the afternoon, attracted large crowds, anil provided the fun of the fair for tho many merrymakers. The Orphans' Club gave a bright varietv entertainment, the members taking pert being in costumes of a ludicrous description, and representing ladies, foreigners, stage Irishmen, back-blockers, and eccentrics of all descriptions, and singing songs of a character which corresponded with the costumes of the singers. A party of Juvenile Pierrots sung nicely, and tho proprietors of vari- > cue picture shows in the city combined to provide tho materials for a kinematogmphio entertainment, Mr Carrington acting 08 operator. Items were rendered by the fol- !;: lowing bands:—Fourth Regimental, Si Kilda, Kaikorai. Dunedin Pipe, Cavershara, and Dunedin Citizens Multi-coloured electric bulbs illuminated the dark paths, and threw kaleidoscopic gleams on the waters of the littlo lake. Fun was fast and furio;«B in the midst of tho fair, and there were, quiet walks for couples who desired solitud*. Hordes returned to town by late trams, after an enjoyable < vening. From a monetary point of view tho fete• was quite successful. About £140 was takoa'", at tho gates, and it is expected that the" total receipts will bo about £290, to which ' has to be added tho money derived from the sale of tickets before the fete took place, and not yet handed in. The dynamo which ■was used in connection with the kinematograph entertainment was lent by the City Corporation. The executive, which deserves gre&t credit for the success of the fete, was as follows: — Mr J. B. Shaokloek. patron; Messrs .T-• Rennie (president), J. H. Walker and R. H.' Todd (vice-presidents), G. A. Lewin, R* Bennell. D. H. Thomson, \. M'MiHan, J. ' Wood, T. Cole, I. Green. R. S. Mensiea, .). .T. fl'irk, G. A. Wvchf -'oy. 11. Hnrris. T.' Somerville, E. A. Anscombe, J. J. Marlow , , J. W. SmiJ-.h, D. Tannock, A. Bathgate, Father Coft'ey, find E. S. Wilson (secretary). : The results of the children's competitions" were as follow : —Boys' fancy dress—Osborne, Stevens (''Lord Nelson") 1. Archie M'Cal,lum (b;ikpr) 2, Leslie Duncan ("John Bull") , ( 3; girls' fancy dross—Noela iSteven* ' I ("Pence") 1. B. "M'Dowell "Head of tho;,/: family") 2. Elsie Duncrin ("Peace") 3; drcoratod children's go-oart or other vehicle —Ray Mantel] 1, Stella Gillan 2; decorated , bicycle—Aloe Emery 1, Hazel Smith 2, Irene Williams 3; child's decorated tricycle—Keith Gibon 1, J. Lucas 2; special class—Mr, Northey's team 1, Ray Mantell 2.