The Grand 1904 Fourth of July Prep
Tacoma readies a massive celebration featuring an electric fountain and a municipal fundraising drive for a 'monstrous' patriotic event.
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.
Forty thousand people are expected to arrive in Tacoma July 4 to commemorate the nation's natal day. The celebration to be held here at that time will be a monstrous affair. The committees in charge are working hard to make the occasion a grand success, and each day some new features are planned. A fund of $6,000 will be required to carry on the celebration; it has been decided to expend $1,000 of this amount for prizes, and a similar amount for fireworks. Ira H. Case, chairman of the finance committee, is in charge of the work of raising the money, and it is urged, as the time is getting late, that every business man respond freely and liberally to the wants of the solicitors. The program for the celebration will probably include a sacred concert in Wright Park Sunday night, July 3. The regular celebration and labor parade will be on Monday. Tuesday will be Hose Carnival day. One of the attractions of the celebration will be an electric fountain in Wright Park. This will be placed in front of the bandstand and will throw a stream 100 feet in the air. Variegated colors will be thrown upon the water by an arc light.
“The celebration to be held here at that time will be a monstrous affair.”
Wright Park remains a civic centerpiece for Tacoma. The 1904 description of an 'electric fountain' serves as a reminder of early 20th-century boosterism and how cities marketed their technological progress to attract thousands of visitors.
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