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Saturday, May 1, 2021

Elephant Drumming Up Support for Playground, May 1, 1921

Elephant Helps Park Campaign. . . Carnival Pachyderm Carries Children Through Streets Saturday Afternoon

Johnny Jones' "wise" elephant paraded the business section of Charlotte Saturday afternoon bearing upon its broad back a half-dozen school children. From its side hung signs advertising the fact that "He's a wise elephant; he's for playgrounds." The elephant was loaned the playground enthusiasts by Mr. Jones, the carnival man, as an advertising feature for parks and playgrounds.

Later in the afternoon a street-car, loaded to capacity with children, and carrying banners advocating the three-cent tax for parks and playgrounds, covered several of the circuits of the street-car company.

Which attracted the most attention, the elephant or the street-car, could not be determined. The novelty of the former on the streets of the city; and the noise of the children aboard the street-car served to attract the attention of many pedestrians. After parading the streets of the business section, the elephant and his passengers went to Independence Park, where the crowd saw the baseball game between Charlotte and Asheville.

Monday afternoon at 3:30 o'clock 5,000 school children are expected to parade the streets of the city to create interest in parks and playgrounds. Children will assemble South Tryon street and Southern Railway, and at North Tryon and Ninth streets, two processions marching to Independence Square. Columns of eight will divide into columns of four there, each column going in opposite directions on Trade street. In this manner the two main streets will be covered by the marchers. Considerable interest is expected to be created by the parade of school children.

From the Charlotte News, May 1, 1921

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