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MBauMnMiMmnBd tnini mwm fciiMMiini m nil
THOMAS A. FRY, PRESIDENT.
VU'iANIZED In 1VC for tho purpo
I lj I of attracting to Omaha tho pcop'e
I M .f ttiik i; ii tr mi ti ! ti ir uriii ii I iv ail I
to assist in that way the inteting::
of the Nebraska Slate fail
whlrh was then loiated In this city, tin
Knights of Ak-Sar-Hcn haw come to lie one
if the most Important festival socicths In
the I'nited States. ranking with th' M.irdi
('ras festival societies of New Orleans ri.il
Mobile ami surpassing them In many re
spects, for the Knights of Ak-Sar-llen are
bound down by m trailitions and are free
to vary the nature of their displays in n
manner whieh is impossible to Hex, Proteus
or Comus, which by many years of adhe
rence to lie line of display are now exp T'eil
to follow that line and no innovation would
lie tolerated, lty innovation in parades and
other forms of entertainment the Omaha
society has preserved its freedom of action
and is as free today to introduce novelties
as It was the day it was first organia 1.
It was tho retail dealers' organization
which conceived the Idea of the carnival.
It has been the wholesale dealer which has
p rpetuatod it. and today it Is looked upon
by the jobber as one of his most effective
instruments for the purpose of increasing
is sales ami bringing him into friendly re
lations with his customers. Tho novel fea
ture, of the Knights of Ak-Sar-Iten is the
annual initiations, which, beginning early
In the summer, continue until a week or (wo
before the parade and ball. It Is these
Initiations which bring the people together
mid which give the order its reputation In
the larger cities of the country. A parade,
be it never so meritorious, is but for a day
or night. Those who see it will be pleased,
w ill marvel and w ill speak of it, but a series
of meetings extending over several months
affords opportunity for many to enjoy it.
and as the plan of admitting visitors to the
city free of charge upon the- request of a
local member of the order was early adopted
there are few travelers who make, this city
who have not made It a point to reach hero
on Monday night so they could join friends
Hi the den. There are men from New York.
Chicago and other cities who visit the den
annually and consider It as much a part of
their business in Omaha to be present onre
at least at each annual initiation as it Is to
Visit the trade.
The Knights of Ak-Sar-llen is a corpora
tion duly chartered by the state. It stock
holders are the Hoard of Governors, whi.-h
is the governing power cf the order, and
who have complete charge of (h festival
and the work nt the den. To keep the
beard fresh in ideas it has been the practice
for a number of the members to retire at
the end of each season, and frish blond
would be added, which, In its second year,
would have much of the responsibility
placed upon It. For four years, beginning
villi 1K!."i. U. S. Wilcox was president of
the board. In 1S!ifl he was succeeded by
1 homas A. Fry. who has held the place
aince that time, and with one exception
this office has been changed less freqnent'y
than any other. In ISO!) Dudley Smith was
x Ice president. He wai succeeded bv
Thomas A. Fry in 1S07 and two years Inter
Valter S. Jardlne was elected to that pos'
tion upon the elevation of Mr. Fry to th
presidency. This year he was succeeded
tv Fred Metz. V. Lvlo Dickey was the
fist secretary. He retired at the end of
the first year and was succeeded by Clom
int Chase. The next year H. Vance Lan
as elected to that position, and in lSfK
jv.'s -ucceedrd by A. II. Noyrs, who con
tinued there until his removal from th-
ity In inni. when Mel Vhl was elected and
lias served since that time,
i Through all cf the years the difTlrult posi
J' tlon cf treasurer has been held by on
mail, whose devotion to the Intere-ts if
order has been exceeded by none and
wheso enthusiasm has been perennial.
Members of the Heard of Governors may
come and may go. Ideas may change and the
scope cf the order change, as It did thro
vear ago, but the backbone of the board.
Hie man who has not only planned to se
cure the sinews of war, but who has been
practically the actuary of the public par'
of tin' work, has never changed. To tho
mind if the average knight who hns b e'l
in the order year after year the strengih
Ak-Sar-Ben's Place in Prosperity of Nebraska
FRED METZ, VICE PRESIDENT.
J. M. IIENDK1E.
of Samson is found In his personal repre
sentative, Henry J. Tenfold, the treasurer
of the society. From his long connection
with the order, being one of the three mem
bers of the present Board of Governors who
were present on that night in thp Com
mercial club rooms when the society was
formed. Mr. Penfold has since that time
always been the first to get to wi rk on tho
annual hustle for funds. The other two
members of the hoard who were present
and placed in that position the first year
are Thomas A. Fry, the president, and
Walter S. Jardine, chairman of the carnival
committee, who has served several terms as
vice president.
Hut the success of tho annual festival is
not all due to the Hoard of Governor, fir
contributors to the fund for the parade
and those who have joined tho order from
year to year have had occasion to come
into contact with a "hustling committee,"
a band of loyal knights, holding no rank
above that of their fellows, who each year
devote time and labor to securing from the
residents of the city the cash necessary for
the annual production of the features of
the festival. This committee has been
headed since the first by J. D. Weaver, who
probably knows as much about the work
required In Omaha as any man in the city.
The hustling committee consists of twenty
four men. many of whom have served for
several years. Afler the work has been
started In the summer they make a can
vass of the town and secure funds for the
parade and membership for the order. Each
year they try to excel the work of tho pre
ceding one, but so far 1H!IH, th exposi
tion year, has been the high mark for
membership, although it will be closely
pressed by the present year. When the In
itiations closed Monday evening there were
more than COO members present, and. while
no more will be initiated, it will be possi
ble to enroll a few between that time and
the annual ball, so sanguine members of
the hustling committer still hope to ex
ceed the membership of 18!S.
Since the beginning of the order the
practical execution of the plans of the so
ciety at the den and in the electrical pa
rades has been entrusted to one man. Gus
A. Rene, whose artistic ability has devel
oped with the passing of time until he
stands unrivaled as a designer of Moats
and of paraphernalia in the I'nlted Stales.
Of the subjects for the parades and tho
text cf th" Initiatory ceremonies sugges
tions have been made by a number of per
sons, but the author par excellence of the
Knights of Ak-Sar-Iten is George H. Wes',
who has brought to the work a trained
mind and an criginality of thought which
has wnn the plaudits of the multitude.
It is impossible at this time to give a
statement of the annual nisi of the fall
festivities and few care lo know what it
has been, as all who have contributed are
-1
MEL CHL, SECRETARY.
GOILD 1'. DIETZ.
M. A. HALL.
satisfied with the Investment; but the ex
pi use of the festival has Increased us Its
scope broadened. With but par ides and
the ball the expense was comparatively
light, but two years hpo the licurd con
ceived the idea of holding an nnniiiil car
nival and si cured temporary pr.-si ssinn of
Douglas street between Sevenl etith and
Twentieth streets. Here were bn light to
glhcr amusement features of various kinds
and a nominal admission fee of la cents
was chargid, while on the inside a law
number of free at trai l ions were given and
concessions were made to other entertain
ment companies, so that the -round
rivaled the midway of a fair. While tn.l
undertaken as an enterprise for profit, an I
the admission fee being charg' d cnly to
provide for the expense of the feature, the
board w as surprised at the close of I he first
carnival year that of l:t(io to fnd that il
had on hand a surplus of about $s,iiimi. This
gave them an opportunity of securing much
needed improvements in the way of foun
dations for floats ami perman ni invest
ments of other sorts. A largi r and finer
carnival for the following year was planned
ami the plans were carried into execu I' n
when the assassination of President Mr
Kinley cast a gloom over the country
w hich materially decreased the hi tendance
it the carnival, while his death during the
fistlvities destroyed the hope f the board
for the financial succei-s of the enterprise.
The second carnival practically wiped out
I he surplus of the board, bill they had
demonsl rati d the feasibility of I lie Idea,
ami ibis year I heir plans are on a grander
wale than ever, with every hope of the
II. .1. TENFOLD. TKEASritF.lt.
(
or ? .
if I
I
M. WIMIKLM.
II. C. HOWE.
SIICI CHS w 111
season.
h they failed to score last
Spt aking
pro;oit ion
"When the
we had no
feature of
of the financial side of the
Treasurer I'enfold said:
knights first began tin if work
idea that it would become a
the cily's social and business
life and, therefore, no attempt was made
to preserve the records. We have no com
plete record of tho financial affairs of the
order prevlotii to 1SH7. It is not only the
financial statements which are lost, but
much which would have been of great in
terest now has been destroyed. If we
had known that the society was to have
cunt inued there w ould have been several
things done differently."
As I i I he management of the financial
part of the affair, there are two funds
whic h are kept distinct on the books of the
treasurer. All money to be used in the
paride fund is ruisxl as such, while the
ii" le y raised from initiations is devoted ex
clusively to maintaining the den and the
rnriial ball. The Hoard of Governors never
goes in debt. If the cash Is not on hand
th enterprise Is not undertaken and the
expenditures in the annual festivities are
strictly regulated by the actual cash on
hand. The result of this policy has been
that when the carnival grounds produced
a let revenue it was all profit ami turned
Into the general fund of the order. Tho
order gives employment to a small force
of men practically all the year and while
I lie floats are under const met ion a large
force of (killed workmen arc engaged.
Tin Hoard of Governors since the or-
V. S. J AUDI XK.
f' -
V"
EDGAR ALLEN.
L. L. KOt'NTZE.
gatiization of the society have been:
IVi.".-K. S. Wilcox, W. S. Jardine. II. J.
I'enfold, Dudley Smith, Clement Chase, W.
Lyle Dickey. T. A. Fry. 10. E. Hryson. E.
M. Hart lei I, H. Vance lane, W. It. Hen net t.
J. K. nt.
lS'.Hi-E. M. Hartlctt, T. A. Fry, W. S.
Jardine. O. D. Kiplinger. II. Vance Lane,
E. E. Hryson, II. J. IVnfobl. II. S. Wilcox,
Clement Chase, W. K. Hennett, Dudley
Smith. W. II. McCord.
ls!i" E. M. Hartlctt. T. A. Fry. W. S.
Jardine, O. D. Kiplinger, I!. Vance Lane.
E. E. Hryson, II. J. Pinfold. K. S. Wilcox.
Clement Chase, V. U. Hennett, I Mid I v
Smith, W. II. McCord.
Iv.is-E. E. Hryson, W. S. Jardine, II. I.
Penfold. R. S. Wilcox, T. A. Fry, A. ', I.
Noyes, II. Vance Iane, W. R. Hennett, E. P.
Peck, (). D. Kiplinger, Fred Metz, W. M.
Glass.
IV.iil-II. Vance Lane, W. M. Glass, E. P.
Peck, O. D. Kiplinger. Fred Melz, J. G.
-Martin, II. J. Penfold, W. S. Jardine, E. E.
Hryson, R. S. Wilcox, T. A. Fry, A. H.
Noyes.
1:iimi-W. S. Jardine, H. J. Penfold. T. A.
Fry, R. S. Wilcox. J. G. Martin, II. Vance
IjUIw, Fred Metz. M. C. Peters. Edgar Allen,
Mel Fhl, George Cronk, A. II. Noyes.
H'UI-T. A. Fry. Mel l'hl, V. S. Jardine,
J. G. Martin, R. S. Wilcox. Fred Metz.
George Cronk, H. Vance Ijine. Gould Dietz
M. C. Peters.
1 !:-H. J.
Dietz, Edgar
Edgar Allen.
Penfold, Fred Metz, Gould
Allen, C. M. Wilheltn, M. A.
Hall, Mel Phi,
M. Heiidrie, R.
T. A. Fry. W. S. Jardine, J.
C. Howe, L. L. Kountze.
-ar" ....