SCOTTISH FAIR.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXXVI, Issue 3981, 11 July 1913, Page 6

SCOTTISH FAIR.

SUCCESSFULLY OPENED YESTERDAY. A BRILLIANT BAZAAR. The capacious new and brilliantlylighted Scottish Hall lias proved itself eminently suitable for a variety o purposes,' and yesterday the opening ot the Society’s big fair demonstrated that it is an ideal enclosure for the holding of a bazaar. The prosaic interior of the previous day "’as transformed into a'kaleidoscopic display of outstanding attractions, the decorations arranged with a nice discretion, and the movement of innumerable lasses, prettily costumed, completing an irresistibly pretty picture. I lie stalls were of a novel nature, and all were tastefully prepared and the goods well arranged. _ T , . . In the afternoon. Piper McKechnie ■ushered his Worship tho Mayor, tho president of the society (Dr. Porter), and other members on to the platform, and when the rousing skirl of tho pipes had ceased, . J The president (Dr. Porter) said that it gave him great pleasure that afternoon to see so many people gathered for the opening of the fair. Ho quite recognised that there were a great number of other attractions on a Thursday afternoon that kept many of their friends from coming. He called on the Mayor to open the bazaar. (Applause.) THE MAYOR’S REMARKS.

His Worship, who was cordially received, said that to comply with the request of the society that he should open the bazaar gave him great pleasure. As Mayor of the town, it was with very great pleasure indeed that ho acknowledged the splendid work the society had done in giving Gisborne: the fine new ornamental building as a valuable addition to our public buildings. From time to time, no doubt, the skirl of the pipes and the lilt of Scottish songs would be heard in the hall, and friendships there formed and cemented at the pleasurable gatherings that would doubtless he held. He hoped the hall would be a centre of social enjoyment, which would bring about a great brotherhood, not only among'Scotchmen, but among the English and Irish brethren. Tho hall filled a long felt want in Gisborne. Turning to talk of the baraar, he said he noticed articles in the stalls offering at ridiculously low prices and the bargains could not be let go by Irishmen, Englishmen, or Scotchmen and he advised them to buv. The Societys objective was to obtain furniture and a piano for the hall. The Society had progressed until the membership now stood at 3200. It was estimated that £2OO would be ample for the furniture required and he might state that if the bazaar was half as successful as he hoped it would be, more than double that amount would be realised. (Applause.) He had pleasure in declaring the bazaar open.

THE STALLS. The ladies engaged at the various stalls are as below:— Plain and fancy work stall: Mesdames Spence and Park (convenors), Robertson, Howard, Smith, and Fraser.

Do!] stall: Misses Spence and Harkom (conveners), Cogar, Thacker, Hewan, Johnstone, and Hayes (2). Snow ball: Mesdames Grey and Bunting. Toy stall: Mrs. Harlcom. Jumble stall: Mrs. Blair.

Sweets stall: The Mayoress (Mrs. J. R. Kirk), Misses Witty (2), Walker, Steel, Bushnell, and Mesdames Skillicorn, Fielding, and J. Graham. Refreshment rooms: Mesdames Nicol and McKechnie (convenors). Nesbitt, Stewart, Paltridge, Dempsey, Kane, and Misses Young, Johnstone, and McDonald.

The officers of the society are as follows:—President, Dr. W. P. Porter; vice-presidents, Messrs. H. G. McClymont and J. Greigcommittee, Messrs. A. Park, A. Spence, D. G. Robertson, J. A. Nic-01, C. Fraser, A. Thomson, W. Campbell, J. Hay, and S. S. Dean ; secretary, Mr. J. Johnstone.

The secretary (Mr. Johnstone) succeeded in carrying out all the arrangements in a characteristically complete manner, and to him was due much of the initial success. Messrs. J. Forsythe, H. Lockie, J. Stewart, and J. Scott lent valuable aid, while Mr. A. Thomson gave the best use of his decorative powers. SOME CLEVER DANCING. The feature of the afternoon was the national dances by 15 of the Society’s ■pupils under Mr D. McKechnie_, champion dancer of the Dominion. The youthful performers, all in costume, gave a splendid exhibition of liornP'Pi'S, Highland flings, and Irish jigs that delighted everyone. The dances were introduced into one set piece, cleverly arranged by Mr McKechnie, and the whole effect was most alluring. The skill displayed by the performers showed that their instructor lias the knack of imparting his skill as a dancer to his pupils. Great enthusiasm was called up by this bright turn, and a number of the dance.s had to be repeated. Mrs Beattie played the accompaniments most capably. The Fair proceeded merrily last night, when there was a large attendance and brisk business was done at the various stalls. It was humanly impossible to refuse the bargains which were so temptingly offered by the bonliie lassies, and consequently a thriving trade was carried on throughout the evening.

THE TUG-OF-WAR. Great interest was taken in the tug-of-war competition, for which eight teams have entered. In the first round, the Storemen beat the Bridge Workers, after a pull lasting lmin. 30secs., and the Gisborne Sheepfarmers’ Drivers defeated the Bakers in one minute. A special exhibition pull was given by Waterside Workers and Gisborne Drivers, each of whom had a bye. This was a highly-exciting tussle, and created the greatest enthusiasm. The contest Lasted smin. 30s cc., and resulted in a win for the Drivers. A challenge- was issued in the hall by the Bridge Workers to pull the-Bakers this (Friday) evening for a special trophy. This was accepted, and is expected to provide a great tussle. NATIONAL SONG COMPETITION. There were four entries for the national song competition, which was carried off by Mrs Forbes, who gave a pleasing rendering of “The Gong that Reached My Heart”. Mrs Brook, who sang “Annie -Laurie,” was awarded second prize, her singing being also much appreciated. THE HIDDEN TREASURE. Much interest and amusement was caused by the search for the bidden treasurer, which was eventually discovered by Mrs Horsfield in a tree, and this lady thereby became the richer by 20 shillings. The fair re-opens at 2.30. p.m. today, and at 3 p.m. some special songs will be given by the Te Rau students, who will also give a display of Maori hakas in the evening. More national dancing will be witnessed to-night, and the tug-of-war competition will be continued.