Chautauqua event well attended

The Chautauqua series was reborn in Milan several years ago. It played out under a tent just like it did in Norwalk in mid-July, 1922. Back then it annually brought out some of the best speakers in the nation in this case the nationally known orator William Jennings Bryant on the closing night. Will it be well attended? You bet it will. Hundreds showed up and packed the tent the first and every night. In 1922 the local Kiwanis Club was in the giving mood when it purchased $50 worth of season tickets, placing them in the hands of lady for free distribution to both men and women who are worthy but do not have the funds to buy a ticket. The 1922 event was held on South Pleasant Street with a Dr. John Shaw the opening day speaker. The Van Harr Music Association will also be on the program. After a break for supper which is not provided, there was an evening session. Guests of the night program will be the children from the Norwalk Children's Home. A footnote is the Ver Harr Music Association performance was such a hit with the capacity crowd that they were asked to stay on and play that night. That group, which included soloist Edna Swanson Ver Haar, was joined by the Barnes Family, a father-mother-son juggling act. Planners for the program believe it will be a banner week considering the speakers they have scheduled. Management of the program has been in the capable hands of the Rev. Dr. Funnell, last year's president. As the Norwalk program came to a close, the announcement was made that the little community on Lake Road, Mitiwanga was going to hold a third Chautauqua event this coming weekend. To make it more inviting to their friends from the east (Norwalk), they are calling the first night Norwalk Night. A gentleman by the name of Harry Fogleman was scheduled to speak on the first night. He is called "The Winning Man". It is said this well-known business leader speaks with kind of dynamic force that arouses audiences. This performance will also be in the hands of the same Rev. Dr. Funnell then went back-to-back in 1921 and 1922 in Norwalk. Radio a big hit L.S. Willis had a radio installed by Frank Edelman at his home at 57 Benedict Ave. It is available to his invited guests for sound from 8 to 11:30 p.m. It is connected to two stations, one in Detroit from the Ford Motor plant and the other from the Naval Station in Washington, D.C. The U.S. Marine Band will be featured including six violins, six saxaphones and six cornets played first individually and then together. The same program will be played again on Friday but not at the Willis home. Also jammed into that 3 1/2-hour session will be a concert from Atlanta and another from Emporia, Kansas. Edelman stated that as he was tinkering with transmission at his home, he picked up a broadcast from the steamboat America when it was 600 miles out in the ocean. Two girls drown Two young girls drowned in the upper reservoir of the city water works system about 3 o'clock this afternoon. Alarm was first given when an excited man ran into the city pumping station and said two young girls had drowned and to phone for a doctor and an ambulance. Dr. Battles and Laible & Brady ambulance were both called and came to the scene immediately. In the meantime and expert swimmer was told where the girls were last seen. After several efforts he located their bodies and brought them to shore. Both were fully dressed and aged about 12 and 14. It is presumed they were walking along the bank. One must have slipped down the bank and the other saw her friend in trouble, went in after her. As of two hours after the incident authorities had yet to locate the parents of the victims. The Norwalk Reflector edition the following day carried the names of the two girls, Anna Gregory from rural Norwalk and her house guest from Cleveland, Margaret Nagy. The two girls were on a fishing excursion that morning. The mother of the Gregory girls packed a lunch for the two and told them to be home by mid-afternoon. When they did not make that time, the mother became worried and went to the reservoir where she heard the news. Another fisherman by the name of Charles Roth was several hundred yards away when he heard their screams. He rushed to that area but all he saw was bubbles coming up out of the water. The Sheriff (Roose) was called to the scene but had to come from the fire scene where a whiskey still was found in the ashes. He was there completing his investigation. Local officials are calling for the purchase of a pulmotor, a device that may have been able to save the two girls. Officer Parish from the Norwalk Police Department said the quick recovery of the bodies by that excellent swimmer would have been key in reviving them. He said both bodies were still warm and pink in color, not blue as some victims are when they are recovered. The $200 machine would be kept at the Water Works building with a sign telling what door to use to get to the device. Garcia ordained The Rev. P.J. Garcia was ordained a Baptist minister at North Fairfield. He has been living in that community during the summer months but will return to Norwalk in the fall where he will continue to teach at the high school. Ladies atire priced right The Boston Store at 16 W. Main St. has some deals cooking on both gingham dress and bathing suits. The dresses, originally priced at $6.95 to $8.50, have been marked down to $4.95. Other fashionable dresses are on sale for the same $4.95 price. Silk is a different story. Not for the usual $29.50 price but for $18.75. Bathing suits, both men's and women's sizes 10 to 40, are sale priced at $3.98. Some suits, cotton type, also up to size 40, can be purchased for just $1.49. Boys' and girls' suits can be purchased for 98 cents. Summer hats are on sale for $3.98. The store has 100 in stock. If the man of the house needs a dress shirt, one can be purchased for $1.95 Baltes low bidder The A.J. Baltes Company was the low bidder for the Walnut Street paving contract. The street will be updates with a concrete surface. The job will run between Benedict Avenue and Norwood. The project will cost around $850. Light that fire A fire will be lit for the first time under the new high pressure boiler at the Norwalk Municipal Light and Water Plant next week. The 100-foot stack is in place and all of the components leading to the stack have been completed. The new boiler will take the place of the original three boilers which will be placed on standby. And used on emergency. The centrifugal water pumps that were put on line last year are working perfectly. Ever hear of a union suit? The C.F. Jackson Company, better known as the Glass Block, on the corner of Benedict and West Main, recently took stock of 1,200 Athletic Union Suits. The suit that has built-in "support" below the waist can be purchased for 95 cents each. The store bought 100 dozen suits directly from the Sexton Mills. The 95 cent product is the cheapest of four styles. There are different materials such as cotton that can be purchased between $1.50 and $3.50. Don Hohler is a longtime reporter and correspondent for the Norwalk Reflector.