Pageant of Nations, Feature of Day Here
From The Indianapolis Star, Friday, July 5: Yesterday’s celebration of Independence Day was solemnly observed in Indianapolis. Except for an evening display of fireworks at the State Fair Grounds, fireworks and other frivolities that usually mark the day were absent other than a few children exploding toy powder caps. The only city-wide celebration was a parade of native and foreign-born citizens organized by the Americanization Day committee. Floats of Romania, Slovenian, Italian, and Syrian organizations contributed to the bright pageantry and the Boy Scouts carried the flags of all the Allied nations. Many of the city’s citizens picnicked in the city parks or commemorated the day with family or neighborhood gatherings, but uppermost in their thoughts were the 1,000,000 American soldiers in France, the 2,000,000 more in training in the United States, and the millions yet to be trained.
“Pageant of Nations. Feature of Day Here,” The Indianapolis Star, 5 July 1918, p. 1:2
