1923 Season

1923 Season

Leadership	Perl S. Miller, receiver and operator The Olentangy Park Company Jacob F. Luft, manager Joseph W. Dusenbury, president William J. Dusenbury Olentangy Amusement Co. (after August 5) Leo Haenlein Elmer Haenlein
Pre-season	April 22, 1923 - May 27, 1923
Season	May 27, 1923 - Sept. 3, 1923
Post-season	Sept. 9, 1923 - Oct. 6, 1923
New Attractions	Horseshoe Courts Shooting Gallery
Band(s)	Olentangy Orchestra
Park Size	Between 66 and 100 acres
Tagline	"Where everybody goes" "The Playground of Central Ohio"

Olentangy Park opened for its 1923 season on April 22, 1923. It was only open on Sundays until May 27, then it began operating daily along with the Swimming Pool and Pony Track. Jacob "Jake" Luft was the manager for the season. This was his 25th year working as a manager for the park.

The park saw an unprecedented attendance of over 40,000 people on Wednesday, June 20, at the Annual Retail Grocers' Association picnic.

The park was closed until 5 p.m. Friday, August 10, in a tribute to the recently deceased President Warren G. Harding.

The park closed except for Sundays after the park's Labor Day celebration on Monday, Sept. 3. After this date, park staff worked to improve the park for the following year. They added cement sidewalks, replacing the gravel ones, allowing parkgoers to travel around the park without leaving the sidewalk. The Ballroom was reroofed with zinc roofing. New fences were added in parts of the grounds, including the parking lot, with a new parking plan in the works that would allow drivers to enter the parking lot gate without tickets. A new lighting system was also added.

The park closed for the year around Oct. 6, 1923.

Dusenburys Forced into Receivership, Park Sold to Haenleins

In December 1922, the Dusenbury Brothers were forced into receivership after the Columbus Railway, Power & Light Co. sued the park's owners. Judge Daniel H. Sowers of Franklin County appointed Perl S. Miller, real estate dealer, as receiver of the Dusenbury interests, which controlled several of the largest amusement concessions in Columbus, and were the largest holders of moving picture theaters at the time. The petition for receiver was directed against Joseph W. Dusenbury, William J. Dusenbury, the Olentangy Park Co., the Hilltop Amusement Co., and the J. W. & W. J. Dusenbury Amusement Co. The Dusenbury Brothers operated Olentangy Park, the Grand Theater, the State Theater, the Vernon Theater, and the Hilltop Theater. At the time, the Hilltop Theater, or the theater building, was completely finished. The State Theater was operating, but the building was not completed. The petition was filed a few minutes after they won a lawsuit against the Dusenburys for $1,242$23,735 in 2025 dollars for power furnished to Olentangy Park. The bond of the receiver was fixed at $25,000$229,322 in 2025 dollars.

Miller became the park's operator for the 1923 season and installed new rides, testing them for safety. He also continued the free band concerts and vaudeville. Thousands of new bathing suits were purchased.

In early July, Miller and Max Stearn, the former owner of the Majestic Theater, discussed selling the park to Stearn. By mid-July, the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas had ordered Miller to sell the property to Leo and Elmer Haenlein. However, Columbus City Councilman Justus directed the City Attorney Leach to investigate a possible purchase by the City of Columbus, leading him to sell bonds to finance the purchase.

The sale to Leo and Elmer Haenlein and associates was finalized in early August for $250,000$4.87 million in 2026 dollars. The park was closed the week of Aug. 13 under an order of the Franklin County Court to comply to the terms of the sale. Afterward, the property operated under the name Olentangy Amusement Co. A Columbus Dispatch article about the sale said the property consisted of 66 acres.

Talk of Annexation

There was a proposal to annex the Olentangy, Indianola, and Smith parks to the City of Columbus, with renewed attention following Olentangy Park's fall into receivership. Councilman Worley opposed the measure, believing it was a way to hide "blue law" reform, since the city charter would prohibit Sunday amusements.

Part of the proposal was to run Olentangy Boulevard through the Olentangy Park site. Miller said the creditors would have to consent before it could be done. Most of the park was under a 99-year lease, and discussions were held about how the park would handle being split into two sections by the proposed street extension.

It was assumed that the Columbus City Council would be asked to purchase the park in May, and the land would be turned into a municipal recreation ground or leased to private management. The North Side Improvement Association considered widening North High Street between Fifth Avenue and the park. It would have required the removal of overhead telegraph and telephone wires and poles.

Some Outings

Annual Outing for Orphan Children

The annual Orphans' Outing Day was held at the park on June 27 by the Columbus Automobile Club. Automobile owners in the area were encouraged to donate the use of their cars from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. to transport children from Broad Street, between High and Third streets, to the park. Lt. Col. Harvey of Fort Hayes arranged to have the children driven back home in army vehicles. The park management provided the children with free rides on the Merry-Go-Round and other rides as well as free vaudeville shows. The Automobile Club supplied a lunch with lemonade and other soft drinks. They gave the children balloons and badges. Major and Mrs. Walter Collins of the Volunteers of America, who collaborated with the automobile club, oversaw the children during the event. A staff of 20 women, a troop of Boy Scouts, nurses, and orphan home attendants assisted during the event. The children came from the Methodist Children's Home in Worthington, the Hannah Neil Mission on East Main Street, St. Vincent's Orphan Asylum on East Main Street, and the Franklin County Children's Home. The general committee of the Columbus Automobile Club included Charles M. Siebert, Jr., Max Stearn, Major and Mrs. Walter Collins, E. E. Grant, Lt. Col. Harvey of Ft. Hayes, and A. O. Rodrian.

Dispatch Picnic

The Columbus Dispatch held a picnic for its readers on July 11. Coupons for the event, which appeared in the local newspaper on July 4 and 11, allowed readers to enter the park for free. Other free features included The Whip, Whirlwind, Figure Eight, a free dance in the Dancing Pavilion, a free swim in the Swimming Pool for women, vaudeville, and a free second admission. The newspaper erected a large registration tent between the central bandstand and the refreshment building. The event also featured "largest family," "fattest man," "fattest woman," "tallest man," "tallest woman," "thinnest man," and "oldest subscriber present" contests. A marketing stunt included circulating photos of the eyes and feet of a "mystery girl" around town, and parkgoers were encouraged to approach women and say, "Beg pardon, but you are the Dispatch Picnic Girl." The person who did this first received a $10$193 in 2026 dollars gold piece. She was recognized as dancer Mildred Melrose by F. Gordon Lawyer, of Cambridge, Ohio, a medical student at the Ohio State University. The two were introduced at the prize dancing in the evening. Other contests were held at the central bandstand for the boy who could stand on his head the longest (aged 15 years and younger), the boy who could sit on a cake of ice the longest (aged 14 years and younger), a watermelon-eating contest for boys and girls (aged 15 years and younger), and a needle-threading contest for girls (aged 16 years and younger). There was a 60-yard dash for girls (aged 14 years and younger), bathing girl revues (for all ages), and races for boys and girls at the Swimming Pool that was specially cleaned for the event on orders by Pearl S. Miller, the manager-receiver. There was a baby parade for infants in arms to determine the "sweetest baby" at the Open-Air Theater. More than 175 babies were entered into the contest. On the Olentangy River, there were canoe tilting demonstrations by members of the Olentangy Canoe Club. The events were announced on the bridge that spanned the ravine and above the Dispatch booth. Cameramen and directors for The Dispatch Screen Magazine were at the grounds at 1 p.m. to film the crowds. The film was shown at the Grand Theater the following Sunday and at other Ohio theaters later on. Over 25,000 people attended despite the afternoon rain. Parkgoers watched vaudeville shows and contests with umbrellas.

Volunteers of America Outing

The Volunteers of America held an outing for needy children and mothers on July 25. Twenty-five hundred lollipops and individually packed lunches were provided. The lunches, packed by women from the various Masonic orders of the city, included 250 pounds of peanuts, five cases of oranges, two barrels of apples, 2,500 sandwich buns, and 1,500 cookies. Three cases of lemons were used to make lemonade. Ice cream and cake were given to the older members of the party, and milk to the babies. Major Walter Collins ordered 1,000 American flags to be distributed among the children. A first aid tent was installed on the grounds to take care of emergency cases, along with cots for sleeping children. The children were from the Franklin County Children's Home, the Methodist Home in Worthington, and all the charitable institutions in Columbus. Local photographers filmed the event, and it was shown in local theaters and theaters across the state as part of "The Columbus Dispatch Weekly," produced by the Columbus Industrial Film Co.

Buddy Day

The park hosted the annual Buddy Day of the Disabled Veterans of World War I on August 4. Mrs. L. C. H. Brenneman, Commander B. Frank Corbin, Vice Commander Brame, and Adjutant R. H. Clinger formed the committee that planned the event. President William W. Ely of the Musicians' Union also provided assistance. Pear S. Miller, the receiver for the park, and his associates opened all the attractions for the outing.

West Side Citizens' Picnic

An outing for West Side citizens was held on August 22. Starting with a parade headed by the American Legion Band and over 500 decorated vehicles, the event at the park featured beauty contests for the Hilltop and downtown sections of West Columbus, as well as a bathing-girl revue at the Swimming Pool in the afternoon and evening. Prizes were valued between $3,000$58,425 in 2026 dollars and $4,000$77,899 in 2026 dollars, donated by the West Side merchants. They included two diamond rings, two Ford touring cars, a $450$8,764 in 2026 dollars living room suite, a $450$8,764 in 2026 dollars bedroom suite, a $250$4,869 in 2026 dollars dining room suite, $80$1,558 in 2026 dollars worth of mahogany parlor lamps, a $40$779 in 2026 dollars library table, and other prizes. There was also a contest for freckled-faced boys up to 12-years-old. The events took place in a 180-by-60-foot display tent.

The prizes were displayed in the tent at the park for a week leading up to the picnic, while the theater building's portico served as a merchandise show hall for West Side products. The event also featured a special all-day band concert, three vaudeville shows in the Open-Air Theater, and special attractions. Athletic events were placed under the charge of Miles Hoover, a former West High School basketball star and assistant in the Columbus Recreation Department. The outing was sponsored by the commercial organizations of the West Side.

The members of the general committee included: H. V. Miles, vice president of Reliable Coal Co.; Gene Worrell, manager of the Hilltop branch of the Citizens' Trust & Savings Bank; Ray Hauntz, Hilltop grocer and chairman of the 1923 Grocers' Picnic; J. A. Davis, proprietor of a dry goods store and shoe store in the Lorain Avenue section; James Moomaw, furniture dealer in the same section; and Thomas Nolan, manager of Rider's hardware store in the Avondale section. The Avondale section committee members included Nolan, Howard Gibson, a confectioner; Warner Self, a barber; and John Roller, a wallpaper dealer. The Hilltop section committee was composed of Worrell, Hauntz, O. C. Voss, of the Voss Bros. Co., Ford dealers, and M. W. Seiller, dry goods store proprietor. The Lorain Avenue section committee members were Moomaw, Davis, Sam Berman, clothing and shoe store proprietor, and Paul R. Barnes, druggist. The downtown section committee members included: R. W. Burns, confectioner; A. A. Burhard, haberdasher; Edwin Distlehorst, grocer; and Stanley Kerr, of the B. F. Kerr & Sons Furniture Stores. The prize committee was made up of Davis, Distlehorst, Kerr, and Oliver Slattery, a grocer.

Nearly 40,000 attendees were there by 4 p.m.

Emancipation Day Celebration

Black residents of Columbus held an Emancipation Day celebration at the park on Sept. 22. The event featured Wilber E. King and Rev. S. H. Sweeney as speakers, and musical entertainment, including the famous Second Regiment Band and Howard's Orchestra. Athletes from Columbus, Toledo, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and Indianapolis competed for prizes. A battle royale, a watermelon contest, and ice cake-sitting contests were also held. The Black Boy Scouts enjoyed their first appearance in connection with the holiday. Committee members included William "Billy" Smith, Clifton Johnston, Maynard Stewart, Thomas Howard, Pete France, J. W. Powell, and Frank Moffett.

Rides and Attractions

New Horseshoe Courts

The park management and the Capital City Horseshoe League agreed to install six up-to-date, well-lit horseshoe courts and reserve them for the league three nights per week. The courts were installed in the center of the park near the Circle Swing, just south of the Dancing Pavilion. A large bulb with a shade was dropped over each peg while the center of the court was lit as bright as day.

New Shooting Gallery

Main article: Shooting Gallery

A new shooting gallery was added that could accommodate 20 participants at a time.

Dancing Pavilion

Main article: Dancing Pavilion (2)

In August, the pavilion was decorated to be as colorful as a rainbow and to reflect the night sky, using physical streamers and a mirrored ball at the center of the dance floor.

Pony Track

The Pony Track and stables were enlarged for the season.

List of Rides and Attractions

• Arena
• Band Shell
• Bandstand (South)
• Box ball alleys
• Canoe Club Boathouse
• Casino (2)
• Center Bandstand
• Children's Playground
• Circle Swing
• Dodgem
• Dancing Pavilion
• Double Whirl
• Electric Autos
• Ferris Wheel
• Figure Eight Toboggan
• Floral Conservatory & Greenhouse
• The Fun House
• General Playground
• Grand Carousel
• Gypsy Camp
• Horseshoe Courts NEW
• Joy Mill
• Merry-Go-Round (1)
• Merry-Go-Round (3)
• Millrace and Fish Pond
• Miniature Railway
• Motion Pictures
• Ye Olde Mill (2)
• Over-the-Top
• Palm Garden
• Open-Air Theater
• Palmistry
• Photographic Gallery (4)
• Pony and Camel Track
• Red Devil
• Shoot-the-Chutes
• Shooting Gallery NEW
• Snake Den
• Swimming Pool
• Swings
• Theater
• Water Toboggan
• The Whip
• Whirlwind
• Zoological Garden

Theater and Vaudeville

Olentangy Park Theater

Main Article: Olentangy Park Theater

The theater was used as a gathering place during the 1923 season, while performances took place in the Open-Air Theater.

Vaudeville

Vaudeville was shown at the Open-Air Theater starting May 27.

Week of May 27

• Maud Fox's Canines in "In Dogdom," featuring Dan, the mind-reading dog
• Viggo and Dorothy, dancers, in "Styles and Steps"
• Kirkwood and O'Niell, balancing act, in "Head to Head and Toe to Toe"
• Hap Hazard and Mary in "Fun on a Wire"

Week of June 3

• Howard and Louise, balancing act
• Fowler and Mack in "A Vaudeville Cocktail"
• Sam Lee in "Chinese Novelties"
• McGarry Brothers and Margaret Gillispe in "Tips and Taps"
• Williams and Lee, acrobats

Week of June 10

• Genero Sisters, contortionists
• Ray Reed, mimic and comedian
• Garland and Smith, aerialists
• "Three Boys" in "Pep, Harmony and Hope," a musical comedy

Week of June 17

• George La Shay, the wizard of the marimbaphone
• Tulsa Sisters
• Demure, Null and Void, dancing, singing, and acrobatic stunts
• Lou and Elsie Christensen, aerial act

Week of July 1

• Edwards and Kelly in a comedy named "He got Vamped," featuring comical songs and pantomime
• Mike Emmett, Irish tenor
• Gartelle Brothers, blackface roller skating stunts
• The Three Yaquis in a novelty act called the "All-American Revue"

Week of July 8

• Norman, the Frog Man, a contortionist
• Trussell and Fuller in "Musical Movements" with singing, dancing, and comedy
• The Whirling Geisha Girls, aerialists - their act took place 30 feet over the audience with costume changes while hanging by their teeth
• The Moran Sisters, musical act

Week of July 15

• Emmett and Company in "Magic and Illusion"
• Fred Crouch in "A Musical Novelty"
• Sheehan and Startzman, comedy singing and dancing
• The Three Belmonts in "The Boys with the Toys" featuring feats of skill and clowning stunts with hoops and the diablo

Week of July 22

• Waldo, the acrobatic clown, in "Slips, Slides, and Dips"
• The Frances Sisters, dancers
• Marsh and Belt, in "Simplicities and Difficulties"
• The Geddis Trio, an acrobatic act

Week of July 29

• Hazeltine's Circus featuring three people with the unridable pony, monkeys, dogs, and other circus acts such as barrel jumping, contortion, and other feats of skill and endurance
• Savoy and Williams in a comedy skit
• Welton and Marshall, comedy, songs, and dancing

Week of Aug. 5

• The Kuhn Sisters, singing and whistling act
• Blancheon, dancing while playing jazz on the saxophone
• Leonard and Germaine, fancy stepping
• Prince Nelson and her cats in "Katland"

Week of Aug. 12

• The Losters, thrilling entertainment
• Jane Garnett, comic songs and patter, known as "The Girl from Kansas"
• Crowley and Burke, in "In Dixieland"
• Larmont's Birds in "Feathers and Plumes"

Week of Aug. 19

• Kangaroo act

Week of Aug. 26

• Perry and Perry, rifle and ropes act
• Holland and Fisher, terpsichorean artists and dancers
• Gordon and Castle, athletics and ring act
• Professor Al Franck and Miss Mary Conway gave demonstrations of 1924 dances

Music and Dancing

The Dancing Pavilion was open from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. The Olentangy Orchestra later became known as the "Rainbow Eight" and was conducted by Carl Claspill.

There were weekly Sunday concerts by a variety of performers.

Dancers Thelma Middendorf, Margaret Jane Lackens, Marie Sullivan, Ellen Wiley, Catherine Hough, Mildred Dyer, and Violet Lundburg performed a water ballet presented by the Girls' Athletic Club on July 17 and 18.

Sports

Horseshoe League

The park management and the Capital City Horseshoe League agreed to install six up-to-date, well-lit horseshoe courts and reserve them for the league three nights per week. The league planned to host their games there in the summer. Its opening was postponed three times and opened on June 26. A special match game was played on Sunday, June 24.

Swimming Pool

Main article: Swimming Pool

The Swimming Pool was open on Monday mornings between 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. starting in July, and children could swim for 10 cents, which included access to the rest of the park. The children brought their own swimsuits. City Recreation Director Arthur Raymond and 10 to 12 of his recreational supervisors from local playgrounds watched over the swimmers. They expected 800 or 900 swimmers each Monday.

Wrestling

A wrestling match between Jack Tallman and Young "Silent" Benson, and a match between Ray Carpenter, of Lancaster, Ohio, and "Bull" Gossard of London, Ohio, took place on August 11, and a rematch a week later. Promoter Al Haft was in charge of the matches, and Bill Cleary of Columbus refereed both bouts. They took place on the bandstand on the west end of the park. Jack Reynolds faced Ray Carpenter on August 25. About 6,000 wrestling fans attended the match. The following week, Reynolds went against Logan Champ, a cowpuncher of Wyoming. Their final match took place on Labor Day, Sept. 3.

Activities

Dancing

Professor Al Franck and Miss Mary Conway, of the Euclid Academy of Dancing, gave demonstrations of "The Rythmic," "The Nugo," "The American Tango," "The Sixth Step," and "The Sports Waltz." They were danced to music by Carl Claspill and his orchestra, the Rainbow Eight, and arranged by Franck and his assistant.

List of Activities

• Baseball
• Billiards
• Boating
• Box Ball
• Bowling
• Dancing
• Dining
• Fishing
• Fortune Telling
• General Games
• Horseshoes
• Penny Arcades
• Picnics
• Pony Rides
• Swimming