George R. Wendling's discussion of "Saul of Tarsus", lectures on various world geographies, and even one called "Old Ocean, Our Slave and Master", by Prof. Juno B. Demotte. Perhaps the biggest draw came from Robert G. Ingersoll who presented a lecture on Abraham Lincoln, attracting audiences from neighboring counties who flocked to listen to his "matchless oratory and brilliant word-painting" Such events not only made Tibbits a place of entertainment, but one of education as well. Speaking events were not only meant to inform, but also to persuade. Such was assuredly the purpose of a large number of political speeches and rallies during the Henning years. These events, generally always for Republican causes and candidates, sported rallies with bands, fireworks, and speeches. Two governors even spoke at Tibbits: Gov. Alger in 1885 and Gov. Luce in 1890. Yet Tibbits was an entertainment center first and foremost, and the Henning years made a bid to outdo the Tibbits Era in wild, extravagant shows. The opera house hosted everything from boxing matches featuring the likes of John L. Sullivan, to trained horses and mules, a presentation by women who claimed to read minds, and even camel rides. A group called the "Fat Men's Club" entertained the crowd with "singing, dancing and acrobatic performance." The opera house even hosted a company called "The County Fair" which "featured a horse race with three Kentucky thoroughbred horses ridden by professional jockeys over a three-quarter-mile course in full view of the audience." It is safe to assume that such an even was not hosted in the theatre itself. One comedy company went so far as to award a winning raffle ticket holder with a Jersey cow. Such a prize was of a very different nature than the winnings would be for modern Tibbits raffle winners. Tibbits hosted a number of musical performances during the Henning Era as well. Such shows included "The Royal Spanish Troubadours", the "Boston Symphony Orchestral Club", the "Michigan University Glee and Banjo Club", the "Swedish National Octet" which made two appearances, and the "Harvard Quartette." Minstrel groups also took to the stage, although these groups had more of a circus feel to them rather than being strictly musical performances. Such shows included bike acts, juggling, club-swinging, and cornet playing. One show in particular, "Duncan Clark's Lady Minstrels and New Arabian Nights" reportedly pushed the limits of Coldwater's conservative social mores with one