Variety (June 1907)

8 VARIETY About January 1 the park and fair de- partments of the United Booking Offices and the Western Vaudeville Association will commence work on a joint tour to be booked by both for the summer engage- ments. The Western office will carry acts around its circuit, sending them on the time of the United after finishing. The Eastern will reciprocate. Ethel Rob- inson is in charge of the Western depart- ment. She has caused considerable talk East by her success in this branch of the booking business. Al Sutherland will di- rect the United's summer amusement work. Mr. Sutherland will effect an or- ganization about New Year's, and make an active campaign for business next sea- son. All the amusement parks in Chicago are now open and the attractions this year are better, more numerous and diversified than ever. The past week, however, has not been so lucrative as might have been expected for the first two resorts— "White City" and "Luna Park," which opened two weeks ago under unfavorable weather conditions. Riverside Park start- ed the season with new and varied at- tractions, excelling all previous records in amusement offerings. The park has been transformed into a mammoth resort with grassy groves and shade trees. The chutes structure is the largest in the city, and the "Velvet" coaster, scenic railway, water carousel have been installed at a large cost. Big Otto's wild animal show, which was one of the indoor attractions at "White City" last summer, has been added to the list, also an aquatic show in miniature reproduction of a sea bat- tle. Kryl and his band give concerts in the new shell band stand. One of the features is the "Great Train Robbery." One of the unique features at "White City" is "Devil's Gorge," an aquatic sen- sation. Mundy's Wild West show and Lindsay's Monkey circus are receiving a good share of patronage, as does the new fire show "The Burning of the Robert E. Lee." The Igorote village is now estab- lished and attracts curious crowds. The "Hip" attractions for the current week consist of the Lugimoto Japs and Webb family. Vaudeville furnished by the Western Vaudeville Association is given in the theatre, and Brooks' band gives concerts in the shell pavilion. Bismarck Garden opens to-day. As in the past, good music will be given there, and the offerings will include the Banda Rossa, Carl Bunge's band and Ellery's band. The chief attraction at "Luna" Park, Chicago, for the next fortnight will be Roy Knabcnshue and his airship. Mr. Knabenshue will make daily Mights from the park (weather permitting). The Schaar troupe of bicyclists will give a free exhibition, and Thavius' band will play. Dc Baugh's band, a local organiza- tion, furnishes the music in the skating rink. Forbidding weather discouraged the promoters of "Golden City," Canarsic, a week ago, and the new resort did not open its gates as per the newspaper an- nouncement. At the last moment the opening was postponed until the 30th. Last Sunday was a bad day all over the country for out-of-doors amusements. There was only a corporal's guard of SUMMER PARKS visitors at "Luna" Park, Coney Island, and even they were not much encouraged to stay by the showmen. "Luna" Park, Poughkeepsie, registered just 118 on the day, although the opening three days be- fore had brought out a big crowd. A park man went back over his diary this week and learned that for the past five years the last Sunday in May has been just such a day as the 26th. Irvindale Park, Warren, Pa., opened for the season this week, with a vaudeville show and the usual attractions. An "Old Home" celebration and grand carnival will be held at Worcester, Mass., for four days, commencing June 17. A new amusement park, three miles west of Ottawa, Can., to be known as Majestic Park, will open June 16. The real opening of Scarboro Beach, To- ronto's big new summer amusement park, occurs to-day. An immense attendance is expected. Manager II. II. Dorsey has over a hundred new features. A splendid res- taurant is also a feature. Vic Ross is the clever publicity promoter. The large arena of the Madison Square Garden became a skating rink on Thurs- day.. A "good June" will return to the park managers the losses sustained by the miserable weather of May. Last year while May was fair, June gave nothing but rain. In some cities, not a dry spot appeared for o\|er five days of the month, entailing large losses consequent upon the light business. If the conditions reverse themselves this season, there will be small differences between the balance sheets for the two months of the respective years. Henry W. Wade, formerly treasurer of the Friede Globe Tower Corapauy, which operates (or expects to) at Coney Island, wa.s sentenced in the General Sessions Court this week to two and one-half years' imprisonment for converting the proceeds of a check for $2,500 made payable to Samuel M. Friede, and drawn by Geo. C. Tilyou, owner of the "Steeple Chase" parks. Ingersoll Park, Des Moines, opened last Saturday with many new attractions and the following vaudeville bill: Clayton White, Marie Stuart and Company; Louise Atfoust and Company, Beelong Brothers, dlivatti Troubadours and Romeo. Mayo and Juliet. The manager is Fred Buchanan. Baltimore and the vicinity are particu- larly well provided this year with summer outdoor amusement resorts. Electric Park opened 2, with Manto's Military Baud as an attraction. The band will remain all season. Good crowds saw the opening, Gwynn Oak Park, a property of the United Railway Company, is sched- uled to open June 10 with Col. Hough as manager. J. 11. Herman's Electric Park is already open: also Easter's Park, where Joe O'Gnrinan is manager. Among the other local parks are Backus (Will- iam Backus, proprietor and manager); lledden's Casino (Charles Vaund, proprie- tor and manager); Riverview (William Fitzsimmons, manager), and Kline's Doer Park (Charles Reuschling, manager). Owing to the street railway strike in Binghamton, it looks as though there will be but one summer amusement resort in operation the coining season, that being "White City." The other two places, Casino and Ross Parks, have, up to date, made no arrangements to open. One ex- planation is that the railroad company has been somewhat crippled by the strike and is not in a position to invest any money in the venture. "White City" opened this week, but, owing to the cold weather and to the labor troubles, the business has been very light. "White City," Toledo, opened 20 in a steady downpour of rain. Mayor Brand w.iitlock officiated at the ceremonies. A good crowd attended. The fence encloses 33 acres of ground and the place is fitted up in pretentious fashion. The Old .Mill, Ferris Wheel, scenic railway and other devices nave place inside. When the Inter-Valley Traction Com- pany extends its line up Natches River, in North Yakima, Wash., the possi- bilities are that a Seattle brewing com- pany will build a large amusement park and vaudeville theatre in the vicinity of the traction company's terminal. Electric Park, Guthrie, Oklahoma, has been improved and opened to large at- tendance. The Amphitheatre in Paris, III., will have outdoor attractions this summer. The twenty acres comprising Pries Lake, in Omaha, will be, in all probability, im- proved and utilized for an amusement park. The Winona (Minn.) Free Fair Asso- ciation (E. W. Foster, secretary) has been organized to hold a fair the second week in September. The Denver race meeting, the first • the big Western events, will open on June 15. June 15 will be the closing day for the .Montana State Fair entries. An Old Settlers' Meeting and Farmers' Fair will he held at Paoli, Ind., August 22 24. The Erie Railroad and a Chicago firm are said to have purchased two hundred acres of ground at Bass Lake, Peru, Ind., and will immediately start to build a "White City." The new resort will be located at Gulf Point, across the lake from the Braybrook Hotel. Dial & Armstrong's Navassar (all-girl) Hand has been booked to play at "Luna" Park, Cleveland, for three weeks com- mencing May 27, Both Grand Forks and Fargo, N. D.. want the State Fair. Valley City is mak ing an effort to be represented. One of the largest fairs in northern Illi- nois will be held at Sterling by the Great Northwestern Fair Association. The fair will run four days and five nights early in August. Jules Casper has been granted the ex- clusive privilege to run a street fair in Iowa City, la., July 1-6. The Fourth of July Lewis and Clark celebration in Helena, Mont., promises to be a stupendous affair. The Sulphur Park Company, incorpo- rated at Aurora, 111., with a capital of $10,000, will operate a summer resort. In- corporators are H. A. Barthold, II. T. Whyte and George W. Newman. The State Fair at Salt Lake City this fall will be unusually large, according to Secretary Horace Ensign. Ethel Robinson of the Western Vaude- ville Association, Chicago, has contracted for attractions with sixteen fairs, and she did not go out of the city to make the transactions. "Happyland," Winnipeg's (Can.) sum- mer park, opened last week. There are several new attractions. "The Lunatic's Walk" gives promise of becoming popular. Col. Gaston Bordeverry gives an exhibition of ritle shooting on an open air platform twice daily. L. I). Mathis, general mannger of the Union Electric Co. and Union Park, Du- buque, Iowa, has closed contracts with F. M. Barnes, the Chicago theatrical agent for bands and soloists. The Royal Hungarian Orchestra, under the direction of Louis Lipsky, with Margaret Dale, soloist, opens there on June 2. The second annual State fair will be held in Hot Springs, Ark., Oct. 1-10 inclusive. Iowa City, Iowa, will have a street fair the week July 1. The North Alabama Traction Co., of Decatur, Ala., will build a summer theatre on the outskirts of the city. The new open air theatre and summer garden at Clinton, la., will open the latter part of this month. Point of Pines Park (Boston), which has received a couple of black-eyes, is again wearing the beefsteak, figuratively speak- ing, and there is grave doubt that it will be able to see visitors this summer. The Hub Amusement Company, which was or- ganized with a great flourish of trumpets by George Tomasso, of New York, has found itself unable to pay the workmen or even the lease, and all negotiations are off. Three hundred men are out a week's pay, and all work is stopped. It had been planned to open the park on Memorial Day with n big carnivjJ, the Goldfields' "Hold Up," and I lot of conces- sion privileges.