100 years ago today in Spokane: Belgian royalty visit to Spokane includes Davenport dinner open to all

Even Spokane’s “most humble citizens” were being given the chance to hobnob with royalty.

King Albert and Queen Elizabeth of Belgium were coming to Spokane, and a royal dinner party at the Davenport Hotel was being thrown open to the public.

Admission for the Oct. 10, 1919, event was going to be granted to 600 people on a “first-come, first-served basis.” The cost: $2.50 per person.

The city council, meanwhile, was fighting over how much the royal visit was going to cost. The initial city cost was estimated at $1,500, but the council objected. They “did not want to cheapen the arrangements, but did not see where such a large sum could be required.” The discussion ended with the council empowering the mayor to “make all expenditures which they deemed advisable.”

At least $400 was appropriated to decorate Riverside Avenue for a royal parade.

From the movie beat: The Famous Players-Lasky movie company said they planned to film scenes at Liberty Lake for a movie showing off the scenic spots of the West.

They had already filmed scenes in three national parks: Yellowstone, Rainier and Yosemite. The producer called the upcoming movie, “a decided novelty in film drama.”

From the baseball beat: 600 people sat in bleachers outside the Chronicle building to “get the direct wire service” feed of the World Series game.

The crowd cheered especially hard when “Dutch” Ruether got a hit, because he was a former Spokane player.