The North Pacific Saengerbund Takes Over Tacoma
Hundreds of visitors from across the region descended on Tacoma for a four-day festival of choral music, parades, and picnics.
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.
A farewell banquet at Germania Hall tonight will end the four days' Saengerfest of the North Pacific Saengerbund in Tacoma. The visiting Germans are glad they came to Tacoma and are going away with feelings that will make them want to come again. At the banquet tonight, only members of the Saengerbund with their wives and families will be present—a sort of family gathering. This morning all the societies were well represented at a picnic at Spanaway Park. During the afternoon most of them returned, and the rest of the day was spent in visiting the other parks of Tacoma. The festivities started yesterday with the parade, which left Elks' Hall about noon, headed by a platoon of police and Schmidt's Band. Following came the Arion Club of Portland, Harmonic of Spokane, Maennerchor of Walla Walla, Concordia of Bellingham, Liederkranz of Everett, carriages containing newly elected and retiring officers of the bund, Tahoma Band, Seattle Liederkranz, local lodge Sons of Herman, Miller's Band, local Swiss society, and carriages and tally-hos carrying ladies of the party. The line of march was down C Street to Jefferson Avenue, thence to Pacific Avenue, up Pacific Avenue to the City Hall, and a countermarch to the depot. At the conclusion of the parade the entire party went to the Northern Pacific depot to take the train for Halfway Park. Twelve well-filled coaches comprised the first train, and three other specials left for the park during the afternoon. About 8 o'clock they returned to the city and spent the remaining hours of the evening over the banquet board at Germania Hall. The only thing that marred the day's pleasure was a free-for-all fight indulged in by some of the hoodlum element from Tacoma just before the party returned from the park.
“The visiting Germans are glad they came to Tacoma, and are going away with feelings that will make them want to come again.”
Germania Hall served as a vital cultural anchor for Tacoma's German-speaking community in the early 20th century. Today, the loss of these specific turn-of-the-century social clubs reflects the broader assimilation and decline of ethnically segregated community spaces in urban American life.
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