John Rogers was installed as the manager. He secured a very good company for the opening, announcing a season of stock performances. The house was opened on Christmas Eve, December 24th, 1894. The personnel of the company was as follows: Jane Kennark, Blanche Bates, Madge Carr Cook, Jean Coy, Howard Kyle, Tim Frawley, Charles King, Harry Corson Clarke, H. D. Blackmore, Fred Fjaders, Mr. Mannery. The opening play was "Moths." It was a good performance, and the company made a very favorable impression. The axiom that "A new broom sweeps well" had a number of exemplifications in this theatre. It was so with this first company, notwithstanding it was a talented and capable one. After it had been seen in a few plays, and the _novelty_ of the new house, miscalled "The Grand," was over, business began to drop off and it was more than the manager could do to keep ahead with the expensive company he had. Why this theatre was called "The Grand" we were never able to divine, as it was at the opening positively severe in its plainness. There is a great tendency in our country to buncombe, aside from the genuine patriotism that exists in it; this tendency leads many of our fellow citizens into silly extravagances, especially is this noticeable in the naming of theatres, hotels and restaurants; more particularly is this the case in the small towns. A man opens a little restaurant scarcely big enough to accommodate a dozen persons, and everything in it of the plainest and commonest kind, and he dubs it the "Palace" restaurant. "Opera House" is a much abused appellation. Nearly every insignificant, dingy, dismal, inconvenient, and homely theatre and hall throughout the land is dubbed Opera House. It is a dreadful misnomer--inconsistent and absurd in three-fourths of the houses to which it is applied. "The Theatre" is dignified enough and much more consistent and suitable. "The Grand" during the ten years of its existence has had a checkered career. We doubt if any of its half dozen different managers have made it pay. The first company, as already stated, was found to be too expensive, the business would not sustain the heavy salary list, not only was the salary list large, but Mr. Frawley made a demand for a percentage of the receipts in addition. This sprung a disagreement, and the company was after about four or five weeks superseded by another less expensive. The Rogers management was able, liberal and intent on giving the public satisfaction. After a fair trial of the business, lasting three years, they disposed of the house on a lease to Mr. Garvey of pageantry fame, who spent a few hundred he had made on the "Pioneer Carnival" on the house in the way of improvements, and then called it "The New Grand." _Ad captandiun vulgas_.