The vine-covered street car entrance to Electric park was decorated with an arch of flags for Independence day, 1908, as shown in this postcard. It was the park's second year in operation at Forty-sixth and the Paseo. Troost and Rockhill street cars unloaded every minute gay pleasure-seekers who had paid the 5-cent street car fare and 10-cent park admission. An old advertisement for park festivities that day made the price seem a bargain. The usual concessions, rides, boating and bathing and free band concert were offered, but most appealing was the list of evening fireworks. The following program appeared in The Times, July 4, 1908: 1. Spectacular Illumination of the Foliage in changing colors; 2. Aerial Bombshells of emerald, azure and old gold; 3. Fuselade of Jewels; 4. Set Piece, Huge triple wheel device, 35 feet in diameter; (A set piece was a picture made of fireworks mounted on a metal frame 30 feet high); 5. Rockets displaying liquid silver nails; 6. Triple set piece, sapphire fountain 10 feet long embellished with rubies and emeralds; 7. Spider Shells; 8. Twinkling Star Rockets; 9. Set Piece, Huge Portrait in Fire of Thomas Jefferson; 10. American eagles defy the laws of gravitation. Hear them screech!; 11. New Military Searchlight Shells; 12. Set Piece, The Pigeon Cote - very novel; 13. Shells displaying butter-flies and roses; 14. Set Piece, Portrait of George Washington; 15. Battery of California Nuggets; 16. An aerial masterpiece, a shell repeater making 10 distinct displays - 10 - Count 'em!; 17. Set Piece, Goddess of Liberty. 10 feet high; 18. Grand Finale, Jewel Wheat-sheaf, aerial boquet, flight of shells and cannonade simultaneously. Duff & Repp advertised in the same issue of the paper that they were furnishing two carloads of chairs for Electric park spectators, and would be closed for the holiday. Those who didn't go to Electric park that day no doubt attended other advertised events, such as the Elmridge horse races, Fairmount park, Forest park, Carnival park, or watched the Milwaukee baseball team play Kansas City. Hundreds picnicked on the grassy slopes of Swope park. Still others bought round-trip $17.50 excursion tickets on the Santa Fe Railroad to Denver to attend the Democratic National convention and see William Jennings Bryan. A big day and many choices for Kansas Citians on July 4, 1908 .Kansas City Times, July 4, 1970.
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