The Arlon Society's Grand Seattle Welcome
A band-led arrival and lakeshore luncheon mark the visit of the New York-based German society as they transit through the city toward California.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The Arlon Society of New York visited Seattle today, and a festival among the Germans of this city was the result. The elaborate preparations for the reception were fully carried out. The local committee in charge of the social entertainment consisted of Judge H. C. Struve, Chairman, Wm. Riffer, E. Winkler, V. Richter, Carl Neuhausen, R. Posen, John Clausen, Andrew Hemrich, T. Schmidt, Ia, Kohn, August Melhorn, and Geo. Warned. The committee went out to meet the Arlons at Puyallup. The train was scheduled to arrive in Seattle at 10:30 a.m., but the train was two hours late. On arriving at the Columbia Street station, the visitors were met by Dier's band. They then traveled to the lake, where a number of steamers were in waiting, and enjoyed an excursion and band concert on the lake. A landing was made at Madison Park, where luncheon and refreshments were served in the pavilion. After leaving, a short visit will be made at Tacoma, from whence the party will leave for California.
“The elaborate preparations for the reception were fully carried out.”
In 1899, Seattle's growing German-American community used fraternal societies like the Arlon to establish cultural legitimacy and social standing. Today, the spirit of that 'German festival' persists in the city's various international heritage associations, though the primary transit hub has shifted from the Columbia Street waterfront to the modern airport.
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