100 years ago – Monongahela celebrates the new year, pt. 1

Everything will be in readiness and if good weather prevails tomorrow will find Monongahela the Mecca for thousands of visitors. All the committeetmen have their portion of the event well in hand and are now on the anxious seat as to the weather conditions.

If Jupiter Pluvius is favorable Monongahela citizens will stage a demonstration which will not be forgotten, commemorating three important events in the progress of the city – the completion of the Monongahela Washington pike, which is a 19 mile stretch of the historic Old Glade Trail, the installation of the boulevard lighting system in the entire business section of Main street, and the paving and improving of Main street.

Each of the improvements is a decided step in the civic progress of the city and the parade, Mardi Gras, Old Glade Trail boosters’ meeting and general celebration are arranged to permit a fitting commemoration of local, county and state progress.

Thousands of visitors from the surrounding district for many miles will he here together with state county officials and good roads boosters for me banquet and meeting at the State Armory at 6:00 o’clock Tuesday evening. Hundreds of acknowledgements are being received from residents throughout this section, who nave been invited here for the three events, and the general committee with Chairman W.F. Alten in charge expects the greatest crowd of visitors in many years for the celebration.

The parade in charge of Major James E. Gee as chief marshal, will move promptly at 1:30 o’clock and will ”traverse our main thoroughfares. Forming in the Seventh street vicinity the line will be down Chess to Tenth to Main, up Main street to Staib to Gregg to Cemetery countermarching and back down Main to Third street where the judges stand will be located, back to Seventh where the parade will disband.

Hundreds of beautiful prizes are offered for both the parade and the Mardi Gras. They are now on display in Bebout and Yohe’s window and are attracting much attention.

Chief features of the parade will be local fraternal organizations, and visiting organizations and teams headed by their respective bands, the public school children with the Mo Monongahela High school band, the boy Scouts of Monongahela, Monessen, Donora and Charleroi with the Monessen Boy Scouts band, Company A, 110th Infantry, 100 floats prepared by business concerns and factories of Monongahela and vicinity. A Mardi Gras division of the parade will be given over to all persons who wish to march in costume and will be one of the leading features of the procession.

A prize is offered by a local concern for the best decorated Ford car in the parade, and this incentive will likely draw a number of fancy-dressed flivvers into the ranks. Following; the parade a caravan of many cars will make a trip to Washington via the new road with Old Glade Trail booster signs and pennants.

Five bands have been engaged and after marching in the parade, will furnish music for -the evening celebration. Street dancing and a general jollification will form the program for the evening. Additional lights will be strung between Fourth and Second streets where the Mardi Gras will be held. The fire department will rope this section off and traffic will be diverted to adjoining streets.

NOTICE – There will be no fantastic prizes awarded by the judges for the afternoon parade, except for floats, Boy Scouts, automobiles and fraternal organizations. In the evening the fantastic prizes will be awarded for those in the parade at 7:30 o clock.

Last night the parade and the Mardi Gras committee met and completed the arrangements for the two big events New Year’s day. They report over 150 valuable prizes that will be awarded. The prizes will be. distributed according to merit and anyone taking part in the events no matter from what district they come will be entitled to compete.

There will be special prizes for the afternoon parade and there promises to be some rivalry in who will have the best float and other entries.

For the Mardi Gras the list for which prizes will be awarded is as follows:

Largest Clown. Smallest Clown. Funniest Clown. Best Clown team, two prizes. Best Clown group, prize for each. Best colored sport. J Best colored lady. Best colored couple, two prizes. Best colored group, prize for each. Smallest boy in line. Smallest girl in line. Tallest person in line. Fattest person in line. Funniest couple inline, prize for each. Best Group in line, prize for each. Best tramp costume. Best farmer costume. Best family group, prize for each,

Most unique costume for boy. Most unique costume for girl. Most unique costume for man. Most unique costume for woman, Most unique costume for couple, prize for each, Most unique costume for group, prize for each. Most original costume for boy. Most original costume for girl. Most original costume for man. Most original costume for woman, Most original costume for couple, prize for each. Most original costume for group, prize for each. And many more.

The prizes for these events will consist qf candy, baskets of fruit, baskets of groceries, hams, slabs of bacon, flour, tennis shoes, basketball shoes, army shoes, electric irons, electric curlers, silk hose, handbags, ladies’ handkerchiefs, scarfs, gloves, cuff links, books, neckties, doilies, bedroom slippers, Boy Scout shoes, shirts, aluminum percolator, blankets rugs, pictures, towels, safety razors, baseball gloves, roller skates, inner tubes, flash lights, brooms, blow accordian, auto chains, hand painted candles, gallon of varnish, tire pumps, cigars, cigarettes, silk flags, etc. One 30×3 cord tire will be given to the best decorated Ford in the parade.

The prizes will be on display in Bebout & Yohe’s window tomorrow afternoon. All prizes will be numbered and the judges will award the winners a corresponding number and in this way there will be no mixup as has occurred in previous events.

The street lights between Second and Fourth streets will be ready for this gala evening and it may be that each side of the improvised midway will be further illuminated with colored electric bulbs strung on both sides of the street. It will be one big evening of mirth, merriment and fun.