SEASONABLE FESTIVITIES.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXI, Issue 48, 30 March 1894, Page 29

SEASONABLE FESTIVITI ES.

(Tuapeka Times, March 21.)

ST. PATRICK'S coucert took place in the Town Hall, Lawrence, on Friday evening last and was an unqualified success, the house being packed, notwithstanding the very ine'ement sttti ot the weather. At the conclusion of the entertainment, Father O'Leary warmly thanked the audience for their attendance in such large numbers on such a wet night, and cordially acknowledged his indebtrduesj to the performers for their services, especially thanking Mr and Mrs Woods, pianist and accompanist, who bad rendered such excellent service daring the evening. The compulsory poatponemeut of the sports from Friday until the following day (Saturday) owing to the inclemency of tbe wea'her was not attended by any hdvautage from an atmospherical point of view. But there was no other course open to the committee. After the first four even's on the programme had been gone through on Friday, under circumstances fir from pleasant, the state of the course and the temper of both contestants and spectators rendered a postponement umvoidable. There was, however, little, if any, improvement in the weather on the following day. The rain came down from an early hour of the d.iy in a settled, steady drizzle that forbade any hope cf improvement ; but it was decided to go through with all the events and exhaust the programme umer any circumstances. It was a bold resolre, but yet a wise one, and the best that could be taken under tbe circums ances. To hold the sports over until the following week would bring with it no gmrintee of better weather, and besides, there were a number of comp >titors present from a distance whose presence coul'i not be rebel on a^aio. Had the weather been favourable, tbe day's sports would have been one of the best yet held in Lawrence. The programme was an exceptionally good onr, from an athletic standpoint, and the s akes were big enough in these dull days to tempt an unusually Urge number of competitors from a distance to enter tbe lists F>r instance, there were *8 marjy as fourteen t omiDations for St Patrick's handicap, and of these twelve bccepted, but only eight came to tl,e scratch, the otber four leaving by the m >rning tram on Saturday. The attendance of tbe public, too, would have been many times Urger had the weather been lens forbidding. But miserable as tbe day was on Saturday, between 100 and 150 people put io an appearance on the grounds and watched Hie programme of events to its conclusion.