Celebrations
in 1919, Part 1
A. Usual kinds of
Celebrations
Jan. 15 - Rotary Club had banquet for members
and wives to celebrate the new year
1. Anniversaries – Silver anniversary celebrated
[no golden, 50th]
2. Birthdays - Birthday celebrations throughout
the year – a man turned 80, Louisa Collins turned 88
Jean Botsford
celebrated her 7th birthday with a party with 7 friends
A Gibbon girl
celebrated her 9th birthday with a big dinner with relatives, “including a
huge wedding cake.”
3. March 31 – Junior & Senior normal school
classes had a “Fool’s Convention” party to celebrate April Fool’s Day coming
up the next day.
Gym was “decorated with heads of cabbage, onions, whisk brooms, feather
dusters, and other pieces of
foolishness.” Those attending wore “ludicrous masquerade costumes” and
“foolish games and fool-hardy ‘stunts’”
were the evening’s entertainment.
B. Independence Day Celebration
Began with
a big parade with decorated autos at 10 am
At 11:30 – Judge Ryan of
Grand Island delivered Independence Day speech
An aviator
was to fly over the city [wouldn’t that distract from the speech?]
Afternoon – races
at the fairgrounds
Aviator flew over the fairgrounds & did stunts, maybe took up a few
passengers
Evening – Band concert; dancing at several places
7:15 – Several races with
cash prizes held south of the high school just before the band concert
Fat man’s
race
Roller skating and foot races for boys and girls 14 and under
Girls and boys running and skating separately, of course
Potato race,
anyone under 15
At State Industrial School, boys given day off
from their tasks
Athletic contests and a water fight using school’s fire fighting equipment
Band concert
by SIS band, followed by “bountiful supper, ending with ice cream and cake”
C.
Halloween
“Halloween was celebrated in the old fashioned way by Kearney’s youth.
Rigs of every description were found on Central avenue the next morning,
from potato planters to tractors,
buggies
and wagons.
Windows were given the most liberal soaping they have had in years.
But there were few instances of real damage having been done or reported to
the police.”
D. Armistice Day - honoring
returning servicemen
This was the big celebration of the year
1. Reason for delay
in honoring our servicemen
Armistice
signed Nov11, 1918
Throughout
summer and fall 1919 various towns held celebrations honoring their
returning soldiers – Holdrege,
Poole, Minden, Pleasanton, Ravenna, Lexington
While the American Legion is a national organization, the Kearney chapter
did not form until the summer of 1919
City leaders wanted to work with them on a celebration honoring the
ex-service men in the city and county
In the midst of all this, Kearney lost one of its
Civil War veterans
Sept. 4 – John Lawler died at age 78. He was born in Ireland, emigrated and
enlisted in Army in Indiana to fight in the Civil War. After the war he came
to Kearney County in 1880 and lived in area until moving to Kearney from
Minden a few years ago.
Called “Uncle Johnny”, he was always at patriotic
celebrations in his faded blue uniform, GAR button on lapel, canteen on
belt, bayonet-tipped Civil War musket.
He fired a salute when a group of our boys left
for camp. He joined in armistice celebration, firing his musket. [He was
probably missed at the upcoming 1st anniversary of Armistice Day]
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