Church Picnic (1916)

by Larry Swanson

Our church, Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church, supported Arthur Capper in his early years. We used to invite prominent figures to speak and get their message out at our church picnics. In 1916, we invited Arthur Capper to attend our picnic, and about 3,000 people attended.

We printed a 100-year history book in 1974, called 100 Years of Christian Ministry, which included the following excerpt, recounting another church event Arthur Capper attended:

“In 1924, State Representative James G. Strong,  Senator Arthur Capper, and Rev. Carl Odell (a former Salem confirmand), held the attention of the listeners in the afternoon. Other speakers have been pastors of the district, former members, or missionaries home on furlough. Numbers on the afternoon programs included band selections by Axtell or Frankfort, songs by the Salem Choir, quartets or octets. Each child was given a token which could be exchanged for an ice cream cone, bottle of pop or a box of Cracker Jacks. These are happy memories for many.”