Summer Amusements - 1900-1920
A Comparison of some summer activities Now and Then
1.
Baseball
Now Little league organized program for children
Adult mens, womens, & mixed leagues
Then informal games organized
by the boys on a per game basis [no girls]
Adults
men only, Kearney Kapitals 1910-1914
2. Chautauqua
Then the original -
1907-1924 held each summer at Chautauqua Park on north side of Harmon Park
People
came and set up camp for the week
Now
Revived by Humanities Nebraska 35 years ago [1984]
Re-enactors speak as those in original programs or of the chosen time period
Performed in two Nebraska cities each summer
This
year in Kearney, Aug 2-3, the 50s in focus
3. Cycling
Bicycles
Now BRAN Bike Ride Across Nebraska, church organized rides for
a cause
Groups & individuals ride 2-20 miles in evenings & on weekends
Ride Bike/Hike trails, pulling infant/toddler carts
Then cycling a popular sport trips to Grand Island a favorite
trip
Nothing organized, just individuals or small groups
Motorcycles
Now Individuals, couples, small groups ride on evenings,
weekends, on vacations
Some organized groups
Then -
[watch American Pickers we know there were motorcycles in this time period]
July 1913 in the latter part of the month a group of several hundred
motorcyclists, the federation of
American Motorcyclists, were to stop overnight on their way to Denver for a
national convention.
Garages and hotels were notified to expect them.
Evening entertainment a smoker; a trip to Lake Kearney for swimming and
boating.
Commercial Club encouraged showing the men a good time so they could spread
the word as they
traveled and went home.
4. Picnics
Picnicking, fishing, boating, swimming frequently all in a days activity
But
focus on picnics
Now back yard barbeques; public
& state parks; pot luck picnics by church group or family reunion
Then City parks Harmon,
Collins, Pioneer
Parks by Wood River by mill ponds Glenwood; White Bridge Park
More about White Bridge
Park
Private park
Location mile north and two east of Glenwood Corner on Wood River
July 4, 1906 Big celebration
Speeches, singing, music furnished by the Kearney Brass Band
refreshments on sale, probably picnicking also
Various races - foot, sack, egg, boat, tub, swimming
End of June 1906 White Bridge park owner advertised for Two good swimmers
to enter race at the park on
July 4th
June 1914 Apparently following quite a rain
Three brothers coming were from Cedar Township [up north near Ravenna] to
Kearney had a narrow
escape when they attempted to cross the Wood River on White Bridge
Covered with 18 of water and a strong current. [almost knee high]
Not knowing whether they could cross with the car, the young men secured a
team from the other side
of the river
[this means that at least one of the brothers walked across the bridge in
the water to go to t4he nearest farm on the south side to borrow a team]
and attached a rope to pull the car through the water.
[he had to wade back across the bridge. Then all 3
brothers were in the car, one to steer as they were pulled across, while the
owner of the horses was probably there to control the horses.]
But when the car was clear of the bridge the rope broke and the car was
washed off the road into the
ditch where it was caught by a tree.
The boys stuck tight to the car and, since they could not swim, had to be
rescued by boat.
When the water went down the next day they were able to get the car back on
the road and apparently
drove on into Kearney.
It was checked over by Kearney Auto and the boys were able to make it home
that afternoon.
[what car today could go through that without damage?]
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