BAZAAR AT HAMILTON.

Waikato Times, Volume LVII, Issue 8008, 13 September 1906, Page 3

BAZAAR AT HAMILTON.

• ■♦— A BRILLIANT OPENING. The bszisr in aid •t' 11 ■*> Hamilton Municipal Band and the Hamilton Munieipil Fire Br.gndo was opened in the Town Hall last evening. The Sr-t event ''-a- a torchlight precession, tuarshallei by v r t l . Hor-neil, and eomp sed a- follow-;: —The i!-iti'! (nml-r Bandmaster- Booth), the Fiu< "rig^d l (urder Captain Kio>r en), the Hamilton Kitie (. a I' ts (Captain I'eirs u), Oddfellows (L yal Hamilton Lodgd), Druids (Pride of Hamilton Lodge), dec rated bicycles. It was an effective pageant bs it moved along Victoria-street from Lond< n-streot to the Town Hail, to the strains of the Hand, while the unsteady glare of the torches foil upon the scarlet facings of uniforms, and tlie regalia of the friendly societies, v. is re-ti'-ctod from tho bras.-; instruments of the Hand and the helmets of the Brigade, made mysterious shadows among the Howins,' beards and gh'stly robes of a group of ancient Druids, and glimmered around tho flowery circles of the bicycles. A large crowd watched the procession pass and then surged into the hall. The ample Moor-space within the stalls that lined the room was packed with people, and the gallery a so was nearly tuii. Mr W. C. Davis, Deputy-Mayor of Hamilton, came to the front of the stage and lead the following letter from His Worship the Mayor (Mr J. is. Bond): — *' Please express my regret to the management committee of the Hamilton Band and Brigade Bazaar for my unavoidable abseuce at the opening of the bazaar this evening. Also please convey my sincere wishes for a niost successful gathering, and a good financial return to the . oinmittee for 'heir

strenuous efforts on behalf of such de serving institut'ons ag the Hamilton Municipal Band and Hamilton Municipal Fire Brigade. Also please announce that it is my intention to move at the n"xt meeting of the Hamilton Bon ugh Council: ' 1 hat wiien the new Carnegie Library is erected, that the present library building be handed over to the Fire Brigade and Municipal Band to be used ps Fire Brigade quarters and social room fo the Band and Brigade; and secondly thai a building be erected alongside the present library for housing the Brigade plant at the earliest possible date." I trust this proposal will meet with the consent of the Council and be satisfac tory to the members of the Band and Brigade." Mr Davis then said : In whatever part of 'the world the three elements, wind, fire and water come together, something unusual is 6ure to happen. Tne three elements have met together just now in Hamilton, and something extraordinary is happening —this monster bazaar with its many attractions and side shows. A brass band cannot get along very well without the first named element, wind, s« the Band has joined with the other two elements, fire and water (the Brigade) to help to raise the wind, and by uniting,they hope to get the sympathy and financial support that these two bodies, the Bind and the Brigade, deserve. It is an old saying that those get help who help themselves. This is what the Band and Brigade are doing. Our Band, with ali its disadvantages, old instruments, etc., is a credit t > the Band-"mast-r and the town of Hamilton, and we hope that this bazaar will be such a financial success that they will have funds to bring their band up-to-date in instruments and music, and when they return in the near future from the B*nd contest at Waihi, we will be able to sing, " See the conquering heroes come." It will not be the fault cf the B mduiaster if this is not so. The other two elements, fire and water, stand for another body (the Brigade) that has many needs and deserves more sympathy and support than it gets, but let us hope that it will receive both by the financial succes= of this united baziar. 1 hope they will be able to get the new reel, the hose and other things they require. they ever be ready t r service, but seldom wanted. 1 trust that from now right on till the close of this united biz tar that each and all the stallholders will have a busy and profitable time. I now have pleasure in declaring this grand united bazaar open.

Thirty-two little srirla dressed in white with coloured sashes, carrying wanl.i dec crated with foliage and weiring leafy coronals, then went through an intricate maze march with limelight effects. It was a very pretty sight, ind most creditable to Mrs Boawotth, who must have trained them 'long and patiently. A little later two of the juvenile prrLrmera (Misses Ina Bosworth and Florence Munrc) having exchanged their fairy-like attire for rags, rendered successfully a dialogue song. The stalls are well laid out and beautifully decorated with arches, festoons and trellis-work of greenery. They are amply stocked (owing to the generosity of many friendF.wbose donations were acknowledged in the Waikato Times), and she or he mast hard t > pleise who cannot lind anything to desire in such an abundance of things useful and ornamental. The prizes in tie art union are arranged nesr the main door. They are a line collection, all genuine works of art, most of them being the, work of local donors. '1 he drawing takes place on Saturday. The first priz- is a handsome sideboard, the second an overmantel with paintings, and the third a hall stand, all being hand-carved. A separate art union *s being ruu for the disposal of a monster cike made and gven by Mr Gr. A. Smith,

confectioner, Hamilton. It is a towering elaboration of sugared ornamenc, designed with special reference to the objects of the bazaar. The nauits of the two organisations concerned appear in raised letters, and there are groups of bandsmen playing their instruments and firemen playing their hose. If the winner of the cake should, three months, act in direct defiance of Mr Punch's advice, Mr Smith will redecorate it in wedding style. To mention even a tithe of the particularly attractive articles on the stalls would ba impossible here, but it may be said that Mrs Tonga's bndil group of dolls is an excellent piece of work of its kind. The stall-holders are as follows: —Fancy, Mesvdames Prince, Willis, Morris, Taylor, Munro and Pritchard; plain, Mesdames Booth, Salmon, Chappell, Tristram; tea room, Mesdames Lawrence and Tyler; lollie, Misses Thompson and Hill; doll, Misses Loveday; bran dip and fish pond, Misses Marshall and Teague; produce, Mr Taylor; wood, Mr O'Neill. Special features are the consultations given by the clairvoyant mysteriously known as tfce Colleen fibu, and the interesting model stamping battery from the Thames, in charge of Mr Lome. The supper-room is tilled with side shows including shooting gallery, skittle alley, stronsith - testing machines, and other "automatics," whoso small mouths have large appetites for coin. Mr Hayes is in charge. During last evening instrumental music was rendered at intervals by the following orchestra:-Violins, Mes=r.< Booth (leader), Tutsohka and Page; cornet, Mr Lowe; euphonium, Mr Munro; bass, Mr Meacheui; piano, Mrs Booth.

The will be open every afternoon and evening uutil Satin day. In addition to the attractions .mentioned above, there will be a number of interesting competitions in guessing, nad-ririving, rip-sawing, hat-trimming by gentlemen, eating suspended buns, skipping and other feats. Ihere will be a bVuy show on Saturday afternoon. The c institutes a splendid effort on behalf of two thoroughly deserving local organisations, and the attend ince of the publtc last indicates success. Much of this must be credited to the joint hon. secretaries, Messrs C. Horsueli and F. (}. 1. <'roinbie, to the ladies' committee, whose names are given above a* stallholders, and to the gentlemen's committee, of which Mr C. liorsneli, President of the Fire Brigade, is Chairman, and which consists if the members of the Fire Brigade (Mr T. W. Thompson, hon. secretary) and the Band (Mr H. Salmon hon. secretary.) The prizes for the decorated bicycles were awarded as follows by Mr J. E. Hammond : —Ladies '4 entries), Miss A. Hill ; gentlemen (2 entries), Mr B. Peace. The total gum taken last night was between £3O and £lO, but this does not iuclode hundreds of art union tickets sold beforehand.