Our ongoing series on Pekin’s 1924 Centennial Celebration has now reached the celebration’s third day, which was the Fourth of July that year. This week we will begin to present the Pekin Daily Times coverage of the celebration’s final day, which was published in the Saturday, 5 July 1924 edition of the newspaper. Naturally, the story of the Centennial Celebration’s grand finale was the first and most prominent story in the paper that day. Following is an above-the-fold image of that issue of the Daily Times, followed by a transcription of the main story about the celebration from pages 1 and 2.
65,000 People Attend Centennial Celebration On Last Day
ESTIMATE 110,000 TOTAL ATTENDANCE FOR THREE DAYS
Fireworks Display At Park And Historical Parade Conclude Program
OFFICIALS ARE PLEASED
Pekin’s Century Festival became glorious history last night when the stars from the parting rocket of the fireworks died in the darkness. Its achievement as a celebration remains a vivid memory for her citizenry and the thousands to whom she was an unstinting host.
State highway police, experienced in handling great streams of traffic, estimated the total crowd for the three-day celebration to be 110,000, with the holiday throng of yesterday exceeding 65,000. These men with years of experience in directing traffic declared today that never before had they known such orderly routing of the thousands of cars with so little confusion. They were loud in their praise of the manner in which the Centennial was conducted.
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This city – one hundred years old – and still young – bulged with automobiles and humanity yesterday, the last day of the celebration. Although her streets were turbulent, swollen streams of traffic, the crowds were genial, orderly and careful.
Despite the enormous traffic during the three days, not a single accident of major consequence was reported to police headquarters. The problem of handling the public and keeping the streets clear was under the direction of Chief of Police Fred Gleich. A score or more special traffic officers were on duty 16 hours a day during the celebration and they performed faultlessly in the task of preventing congested and tangled traffic conditions.
Immediately following the parade yesterday afternoon every street leading to the park was jammed with autos and it was hours before they were cleared. A similar condition existed after the fireworks display.
“I want to thank everybody who had any part in the Centennial celebration,” said Walton Conover, Chairman of the Centennial celebration last night.
“It was the biggest thing Pekin has ever put over and it was not the result of one man’s genius or that of a dozen. It meant the co-operation of everybody, every organization and civic body.
“A wonderful spirit was in evidence during the entire celebration. Centennial guests were shown every courtesy, there was no disturbance of any kind and accidents were less in evidence than on normal days.
“In thanking everybody I want to include the weatherman. Least of all can we complain of the brand of weather the Centennial got. It was ideal and anybody knows a little rain would have dampened our spirits and forced our plans awry.”
Concessions, that had sprung up like mushrooms after a rain, in the park, downtown and on every street leading to the park, had vanished as silently and as swiftly as they appeared. This morning only littered streets and park grounds remained to tell the story of the patronage these fleeting establishments enjoyed.
The Pekin Fans association, staging two of the best diamond attractions of the season, Thursday and Friday, was awarded its share of the Centennial glory. The two games were witnessed by the greatest crowds in local baseball history and the brand of pastimeing furnished by Mordecai Brown’s Lawrenceville Havolines won the approval of the most fastidious fans.
In Congressman-at-large Henry R. Rathbone and Allen D. Albert, former international president of the Rotary club and a Democratic candidate for Congress from this state, the Centennial crowds heard two orators of national renown.
Congressman Rathbone spoke in the park ravine Thursday afternoon and Mr. Albert addressed an audience from the pavilion at the park at 7:30 o’clock last evening. He had been billed to speak in the park ravine at 3 o’clock but the ball game proved the greater attraction. When Jesse Black introduced the speaker to the baseball fans in front of the grand stand, the crowd yelled down a suggestion that he address them before the game, so his talk was postponed until the evening. Mr. Albert is an eloquent orator and to many his address was an outstanding feature of the celebration.
Late yesterday afternoon Chief White Eagle, in charge of the Indian village at the park, kept the attention of several thousand while his Indians presented historic tableaux. The Chief also delivered a lecture on Indian life.
Thursday night’s celebration was climaxed with the costume ball in which hundreds of quaintly garbed dancers entered the competition for four cash prizes. The grand march at the courthouse at eight o’clock was led by the Pekin Municipal band and proceeded out Court street to the two blocks on Washington street where the dance was held. Two orchestras furnished the music, the streets were gaily decorated with flags, carnival colors and the pavement covered with cornmeal. The chill twang of fall was in the atmosphere, ideal for the dancers.
During the three days of the festival, relics in downtown stores held the attention of the passing throngs. Every downtown show window held some heirloom of a hundred or more years ago, picturesque and unique relics that fascinated the celebrators. The display will remain in the store windows today and tomorrow.
Today Centennial committee chairmen were making a check of the celebration expenses, recording the achievements of the birthday party and reflecting on the fruit of their labors. There were few to criticize while many offered expressions of commendation.
Prize Winners
The judges awarded the prizes at the custom street dance on Washington street Thursday night as follows:
First – Centennial effect, Mr. and Mr. H. L. Bennett.
Second – Best dress showing, Mrs. Walter Fluegel and Marian Koch.
Third – Centennial effect, Mr. J. Hancock and Mrs. J. Hancock.
Fourth – Comical, Robert Gehrig, as Happy Holligan.
Kiddy Car Race – Under six years of age – Jane Baldman, Clarrisa Herren; Under 21 years – R. H. Bruce, Earl Whited.
Tug of war – Won by Grimshaw’s team.
Races – Ladies’ free-for-all – Dorris Custis, Eleanor Nixon; Men’s free-for all – Ed McClarence, Walter Jones; Young men’s race, 16 years – Calvin Denekas, Louis Abrams; Three-legged race, boys – Lauran Lueber, Marion Ingrassi.
Ball throwing – Ladies ball throwing – Mrs. Walter Lohnes, Anna Quigg.
Old fiddler’s contest – Elijah Rockhold, 73 years.
Boys’ pie eating – Lucian Clarke, Otis Richmond.
Sawing contest – Ladies’ foot race substituted for sawing contest – Mrs. Whited, Mrs. Wilcox.
Special ball throwing – Pearl Bontz, Vivian Kohlsted.
Oldest lady on grounds – Mrs. Jane Huselman, Cincinnati, Ohio, 85.
Oldest man on grounds – N. T. Hogan, 84 years.
From greatest distance – Mrs. Ingraham, Los Angeles; Mrs. A. W. Cannady, Los Angeles; J. F. White, Aledo, Ill.
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Prominent among visitors in Pekin for the Centennial have been Mrs. Mary Vincent and son Charles and Mrs. Charles, wife of the last named, coming here from their home in Terre Haute, Ind., guests of the E. J. Kraegers. The Vincents were residents of Pekin for nearly 40 years, Mr. Vincent having been identified with the big distilling interests here.
The Pekin Daily Times published several Centennial stories on 5 July 1924. Next week we will begin to share those other stories, beginning with an account of the Centennial Parade.
Note: Although the official Centennial guest registers showed that some visitors had come from much further than Los Angeles (one came from Sydney, Australia), apparently those visitors had already departed for their homes before the awarding of the prizes for those who had traveled the greatest distance.
