Businessman William Howard Gannett of Augusta in his Winter Carnival King regalia, an outfit that won a prize in St. Moritz, Switzerland.

Following the 1923 Carnival, Gannett went to Switzerland to get more carnival ideas. He hoped the Maine Sporting Carnival would draw top athletes who would set international records in skating, skiing and sleigh racing at the annual Augusta event.

Gannett published Comfort magazine. He was a winter sports enthusiast.