The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1885-10-10
THE GREAT FAIR
Four Days of Mirth and Festivity
in Elkton.
The esavny Farmers With Their Wives and Daughters.
Little ana Big yeurg and Old, Gene from Far and
Near &c Attend the a.es. fxh.e!.!on
Rainy Weather Fails to Mar the Enjoyment
of the Spectators or Dampen the Ar
dent Spirits of the Exhibitors.

Nothing about the sixth grand annual
fair of the Cecil county agricultural society
| has so far been failure except the
weather. Whether from Olds Prob's
anger at his not having been asked
to exhibit specimen of his stock in
| trade or whether from pity for the thirsty
condition of tie ground on Tuesday morn
ing, the time set for the opening of the fair,
the pent up tears of many weeks were
showered down from the ominous looking
clouds That tiecked the sky and, for one
day at least, the fair was literally drowned
out. 1t Is IN i'll wind that blows nobody
good, howeber, and the rain was advan-
| :ageous in some ways as we'll an it was
detrimental in others. Owing to the late
arrival of many of the exhibits the various
departments in the magnificent main exh-
bition hall had not been SO perfectly ar
ranged rs was desired, and therefore an
other day of quiet with few visitors to in
terfere was gladly welcomed by those in
charge of the departments and by the spe.
cial exhibitions from the cities of Philadel-
phia, Wilmington, and Baltimore; and
they took advantage of the opportunity
thus offered to get their displays in better
shape for what they hoped would be a
bright tomorrow than they were ever In be-
tore at first day of the fair. Stock for the
vast exhibit of horses and cattle began to
arrive in the early morning and continued
to arrive until a late hour of the night, as
did also articles of every description for
the various departments of fancy work,
art, Horticulture, needlework, cookery, &c,
in the main exhibition building, and for
the several divisions in the poultry and
vegetable tent; till at last everything, from
the mammoth Durham bull away off at
the eastern end of the grounds down
through the list of crayon sketches light
weight pier, and crazy quilts in the lady's
departments TO the gum drop man and wo-
man with pink lemonade and custom house
pretZels, were in perfect order and readi-
ness to start Off with the sun when he
arose bright and clear and warm on We'd
nesday morning Fortunately for the AS
ISOLATION, and very probably for old Sol
himself, he did smile down in a frank,
manly, social sort of way on the morning in
question, and in consequence every heart
in Cecil county beat high with glad and
joyful anticipation of q glorious day Of
"mirth and youthful jollity." From the
first small man who struggled into the
grounds before the dew had begun to think
of leaving the grass the crowd began to
grow and continued at that worthy task
until it numbered away up into the thous-
ands, five thousand being . safe estimate of
the number present upon the grandest first
day of the grandest county fair held in this
State since the palmy days of the famous
old cattle show at Frederick On the
second day Thursday the above number
was raised fully. two thousand despite
the miserable failure of the weather to an
swer the wishes of every body and remain
clear and sunshiny. As Wednesday even
ing drew near heavy rain clouds again
covered the face Of the heavens and the
weather reports in the evening newspapers
from Baltimore and Wilmington ws1s Gag
erly sought and studied and debated upon
by the anxious visitors and exhi bitors. The
PiCtlClioh VI ClCdl "taluci OU lut
like great many of old prob's later prop
hesieS. was woefully mistaken AZ the
numerous little groups of countrymen who
believed themselves capable of winning all
his golden shekels from the professional
gambler whose smooth tongue invitations
drew them on to the iuve,tm, nt of dollar
after dollar in the vain hope of making q
lucky hit and striking flush pot; for when
the sun rose on Thursday it might rs we'll
have gone to DOING again for its power was
useless against the innumerable gallons of
rain hung up before it in the gloomy clouds.
If it had only stayed hung up all day all
would have been well, but it began to fall
at an early hour and continued to do 30 I'M
til late hour i'll the afternoon. The races
were continued after the rain ceased falling
and the crowd sursing to and fro in the
buildings and on the grounds lost none of
its good humor or enthusiasm. Nor could
the rain, deluge as it might, drown the
cries of the peanut vendors, the walnut
candy dealer, the side show orator, and the
thousand and one fakirs Of every sort and
condition whose booths and tents and un-
covered stands line the southern side of the
extensive grounds. Along the avenue
formed by the main exhibition building
and the poultry and vegetable tent and
stretching on down 20 the first of the two
hundred cattle stalls q vivid imitation Of
New York bowery or a Philadelphia South
street is pres e lite d. Previous to Thursday
afternoon this avenue of commerce was
dotted here and there with a number OF
that class of Jehus termed gamblers"
But at the above time so much complaint
had reached the ears of the president and
vice-president anu other officers of the as
ISOLATION of the Defarious PRACTICES of these
gambling gentry that they were forced to
issue decree prohibiting them from fur
Their practice of their business within the
exhibition grounds. The association had
been particularly careful when applications
began to come in for privileges to sell and
manufacture articles for sale during the
course Of the fair from parties who make it
their business to visit such places as rega-
lar as they occur, that no permission Of the
kind should be granted to gamblers and
the like, but by misrepresenting the char
acter of their traders many Of these secured
the required privilege. On Thursday, how
ever, at loss of about $500 to the associa-
ton, the money they had payed for their
privileges was returned and the grounds
cleared of them. This was q wise act upon
the part OF the association, as the rich har-
vests Of dimes and dollars these gamblers
were reaping will now revert to the more
legitimate tradesmen who we're allowed to
remain upon the grounds. The attendance
each day has been magnificent, being on
Wednesday and Thursday as above stated
five and seven thousand respectfully. on
Friday fully ten thousand, and to-day
Il larger number than any Of these is antici-
pated. The character of the visitors to =
fair of the Cecil County Agricultural Society
makes an interesting study for the curious
Farmers who make this the occasion Of On
annual visit to "town," rustic lovers, hand.
some girls, matronly sisters and cousins and
aunts; awkward, but genial and generous.
brothers and nephews and uncles. mingling
and ebbing to and fro in wonderful tide
Of happiness, contentment, and honest
friendship. Touch this up little with the
brilliant pigments Of humor and hearty
good fun and you have a very accurate pic
ture of the great throngs that crowd the
| canvass made by the green grass and level
| pastoral character of the fair grounds. The
| hihts in ba ja ara axta,