| Summary: | Weather Man Decrees Costumes For Warmth Rather Than Pomp As Cast of Centennial Rehearses. Weather Man Decrees Costumes For Warmth Rather Than Pomp As Cast of Centennial Rehearses. Only by taking liberties with the king's English could the rehearsal of the Spalding centennial pageant cast last night at Recreation park be termed a "dress rehearsal," but it was not the fault of the characters if the weather man decreed an evening far too severe for the loin-cloth costumes of the Nez Perces and the summer finery of milady of 1870 and thereabouts. Street wear of 1936 blended with the war bonnet of the brave and spring coats which might have been purchased yesterday enveloped the hoop skirts of the dancers portraying the celebration which followed the changing of the name of "Ragtown" to Lewiston. The incongruity of the costumes, however, failed to detract from the impressiveness of the performance, which went through from beginning to end with smoothness and precision in most places. Weaknesses discovered in the first complete rehearsal of the entire cast of nearly 2,000 characters were ironed out on the spot' by; Mr. and Mrs. Jack Geller, directors, who were all over the scene, megaphone in hand, correcting and encouraging. Tomorrow night, come tropic or arctic weather, the costumes will be as they were in the days of yore. Large Crowd Sees Work. A crowd estimated at about 1,000, many of them characters off duty at the time, filled the center grandstand and applauded spectacular pieces of stage work. There was more purpose behind brisk movements of dancers than that of realism. It was a night that called for movement to offset the chill of the wind. The huge canvas backdrops which tomorrow will cover the 570-foot stage, were not in place last night, leaving the skeleton-like framework visible above the 4,000 trees which form the front part of the stage. Even this evidence of modern carpentry failed to detract from the scene. Lewis and Clark descended a huge stairway, which tomorrow night will become the Lolo trail. The scenery will take care of that. The continuity of the pageant moved without a hitch from beginning to end as Pageant Master Jack Geller put together the 12 episodes for the first time under conditions as nearly possible as they will be on the night when the show is presented for the first time. The centennial band, under the direction of Mark Freshman, and the chorus, under the direction of Mrs. Sam Skillern, huddled in their stand at the east end of the field when not furnishing musical sequences for the script. Mr. Geller was pleased with the work of the group and announced that everything was in readiness for the first presentation tomorrow night in spite of several rehearsal delays due to inclement weather. Scenery Up Tomorrow. Scenery will be installed on the huge framework today, weather permitting, as the final preparation for the show. Properties were nearly 100 per cent in readiness yesterday, lacking only a few items which will be assembled today. Covered wagons of! the Spalding era lumbered their way across the huge stage set to lend realism to the pageantry. Among the many spectacular scenes which are sure to cause comment among visitors and townspeople alike are the ballet numbers which attest to long hours of practice on the part of the characters and the directing skill of Mrs. Geller; the tribal dances and ceremonials of the Nez Perces; the gold-rush scene of the '60s; the arrival of the first steamboat and the ensuing celebration; the changing of the name of the city and the posting of the new sign telling newcomers that Ragtown is henceforth Lewiston; the convention of the first state legislature; the arrival of the first train; a lawn wedding accurately portraying the styles of the '70s and the dances which follow the marriage; and the night scene depicting the slaughter and horror of the World war. The cast, the centennial board and the directors have done their part; the rest is up to the weather man and smiling skies are predicted.
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