OTAUTAU.

Southern Cross, Volume 8, Issue 31, 17 November 1900, Page 10

OTAUTAU.

Once more the weather—rough as usual; crops growing, but very slowly, owing to a want of heat. On 9th inst it blew a perfect gale and the same agaiq on Sunday. I was rather amused at the action of two of our local bikists on Sunday. They had an umbrella each and held them so as to make a sail of them, and to see the way those bikes went along the road was a caution to snakes. The order of the day was evidently £ no pedalling required.’ Prince of Wales’ birthday passed off very quietly in Otautau, though sports at Orepuki and the bike picnic at Riverton took a large number of the Otautauites holiday-making to those places. The cyclists’ ball came off on Wednesday night (I4th), and socially it was an undoubted success. Financially, I am afraid it will not augment their track fund so much as last year’s ball did. About 40 couples engaged in dancing. The hall was very tastefully decorated with evergreens and flags, so that it presented quite a gay and festive appearance. Music was supplied by some of the lady members of the cycling club, viz., Misses Sweetman (2), Miss Campbell, Miss Swap, and Mrs J. H. Cupples, assisted by Messrs Oobbledick and Horne. Mr John Crawford was M.C., and carried out the duties of that onerous and unthankful billet with great success. The catering was done by the lady cyclists and their friends, and truth compels me to say that seldom if ever have I seen more tastefully laid out tables, or tables more bountifully supplied with all things nice. Indeed the ladies fairly outshone themselves on this occasion. I think that if ever the track becomes an established fact, the ladies can claim to have a big mortgage on it.