Actual article from the Monticello Messenger, Nov. 13, 1918:
When the news of the great victory reached Monticello on Thursday last, prematurely, of course, there was some awful demonstration. No little town throughout our Uncle Sam’s domain, did a better job of celebrating than did the folks right here at home. Elderly people who had not jubilated for many years were among the most jubilant, and joy reigned supreme from every angle. It was easily the biggest joy fest Monticello has ever known and it was put on in decidedly short notice.
Did the girls do anything? Did they? Well, The Messenger will say they did. It was principally the girls, working in shifts, that kept the old fire bell ringing for hours. There was no end to the enthusiasm.
The big parade which continued all the afternoon was immense. It was more than that, but yours truly has not the time to consult Webster and define it in the proper terms. Three of the big logging trucks of the Snyder Logging and Transportation company figured in the proceedings. Each truck carried from forty to fifty passengers and all who gazed in open-eyed wonder at the spectacle will admit that the passengers were all entitled to a top-notch position in the leather-lunged class. But that wasn’t all. Dick Zentner, who was doing a job of shredding on the Jacob Elmer farm, thought there wasn’t noise enough. He quit the job for the time being and joined the procession of merry-makers. The whistle of that old tractor of Dick’s was as deafening as it was joyous. And then there was that little Fordson tractor, driven by Johnny J. Streiff, of the Karlen garage. With the muffler wide open you couldn’t beat it for real downright and unadulterated noise. The little tractor was sure some factor in the day’s proceeding.
And, in addition to all of the other noise, there was that old, hoarse whistle down at the condensery in action, throwing its gladsome chime fully ten miles out into the country, the whistle over at the electric light plant never performed in better shape and the chimes of the church bells of the village were not by any means lacking.
The above performance was again repeated on Monday of this week when the official peace news was received. The doings lacked some of the features of Thursday’s celebration for the reason that many of the villagers migrated to larger towns to celebrate the event. However, there was a parade by the school children and a number of other features that fitted in very nicely with the nature of the occasion. The youngsters took special delight in dragging an effigy of the Kaiser through the streets, and the “old scout” came in for some mighty rough handling. In the evening a truck load of forty or fifty invaded New Glarus and added to the festivities there for a space of two or three hours.
