William Weil's Chicago Band forms a circle in front of Adler and Sullivan's Garrick Theater, where this 1919 rally was held. The large signboard on the truck in front of the theater lists Chicago Plan Commission Chairman Charles Wacker and Mayor William Hale Thompson as speakers. The sign appeals to both Chicagoans' pride ("Now is Your Chance Men & Women Push Chicago Forward") and shame ("Go Forward Slip Backward Which Do You Prefer"). In 1919 voters approved bond issues totaling over thirty million dollars. These funds were devoted to the forest preserve and the improvement of Ashland, Michigan, Western, and Ogden Avenues, as well as Robey (now Damen Avenue), Twelfth (now Roosevelt Road), and South Water (now Wacker Drive) Streets.

Photographer: Kaufmann and Fabry Co.
Source: Chicago Historical Society (ICHi-37340)