Kennewick Youth Demand a Pavilion of Their Own
Tired of crossing the river to Pasco for nightlife, local young people lobby for a dance hall in Kennewick to keep their business—and their moonlight—at home.
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.
Dear Editor: We certainly appreciate your broad-mindedness and wish there were more people in Kennewick who were gifted with such rare qualities. We have in mind an editorial of July 12th that comments on the 'playground' in Pasco—why not one in Kennewick? We noticed that only last Saturday night you hailed the bus and stepped across the river to the 'playground.' We young folks are just as enthusiastic over the pavilion as you are. We don’t want to spend our money outside of Kennewick when it could be spent here. Even a few polished boards laid out in the grove with Brog’s orchestra to pipe a tune occasionally would suit us better than anything we know of, especially if the canvas covering is left off. There is nothing youth loves better than the moon. We know from experience that if Kennewick once gets started we could show the population a lot better time than Pasco has shown any person since the state went dry. It has been over a month since the last dance in Kennewick. Of course there are the movies, but we find little enjoyment in prickly heat and hardwood seats. If something doesn't happen soon we will all dry up and blow away.
“There is nothing youth loves better than the moon.”
The 'playground' debate between rival cities Kennewick and Pasco highlights a century-old struggle for local identity and the retention of tax dollars, as young residents negotiate for their right to socialize locally.
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