The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1886-09-18
Harfard and Ra,t,mora County Fair

Harfard and Baltimore County FAR
Does Such a Rivalry Exist ?-Mr. Brewer, OF
the Baltimore Ne,os, with some show OF knowl-
edge, speaks with considerable freedom OF the
rivalry existing between Hartford aud Baltimore
county people on the subject of their respective
county fairs. The pen picture, in his edition OF
last Sunday, through manifestly inaccurate, IS on
the whole little funny and we reproduce it so
that our readers may judge for themselves. lie
says:
"fow that Baltimore county has had her fair
and made most credtable success of it, what is
Hartford going to do about it? There is noble
rivalry between these two enthusiastically the
leading counties of the State in the matter OF
fairs which is very wholesome as we'll as enter
tanning. Hartford county has made feature OF
its fair for number of years, its people have given
intelligent and appreciative attention to it, and
throughout the county there is pride and ambi-
ton manifested to produce articles and animals
for exhibition which have not only done credit to
the skill intelligence and industry of the farmers,
but have resulted in vast improvement in cattle,
products and property 1t has been the boast of
Hartford husbandmen that their fair so meri-
torious as to attract visitors from all parts of the
State in large numbers annually, and figures
ranging as high as fifteen thousand have been
paraded to the infinite envy and chagrin OF the
naughty Baltimore countians.
Baltimore county finally could not stand it
any longer and so launched into the rivalry bust
ness with great zeal and vigor. To its credit be
it said that its improvement has been marked an
nually, each year showing better results than the
last, until Timonium begins to sheer at Belair
with mingled triumph and defiance. The farmers
of Baltimore county, under the stimulus of this
rivalry, produce better samples in every branch
of agriculture and horticulture than ever before.
They show splendid specimens of cattle, quilts
and poultry, and the preserves, cakes and con-
huf ha lo1i oo1ar LOTT fn nj
the most why committee a permanent attack of
govt.
"Harford has seen Baltimore county's progress
in the matter of its fairs with friendly but jeal-
Gus eye, and has tried each year to keep in ad
vance. 1t has one advantage over its neighbour
and that is it can profit by what the latter does,
since Baltimore county holds its exposition first.
To this fair the Hartford people go in droves and
the deprecating gances they exchange among
themselves, the furtve comments on what sight
that counterpart is, in tones barely loud enough
to enrage their Baltimore county neighbors, and
the ill-conceaed smile they aim at prize cows and
pet pigs is most amusing to behold. And the
audible inquiries exchanged as to how many peo-
pie are present and the satisfaction with which
they remark that about five or eight thousand is
the utmost estimate, while not less than fifteen
thousand was the smallest attendance ON a rainy
day at Belair, give great satisfaction to the visi
tors and set the natives to raging with internal
fury.
"But Baltimore county gets even in few
weeks They all 60 to the Hartford fair to return
the compliments and then it is edifyng in the ex-
IRENE to hear the Baltimore county man ask with
well feigned surprise, lis that your best sample
of Chester hogsT while the pride of Hartford is on
exhibition; to see him punch the pigs and snort
in an undertone Of disgust Not much Berkshire
in that, and to see him feign the utmost indiffer
ence while the trotting going on, as if
they were so tame to bore him after the ex-
citing contests at Timonium, is actually whole
some to disinterested observer. And to see the
Baltimore county ladies shrug their pretty should
ers, elevate their eyebrows in surprise, and
change meaning looks over Harford's brag exhi-
bits while the Hartford ladies fairly aglow with
vexation, beats the average comedy all hollow
After the two fairs the Hartford and Baltimore
men chaff each other, whenever they meet, over
the merits of their respective fairs and the ladies
of the rival counties comment among themselves 4
and privately confess that the others are 'horrid,
mean things until the social exchanges Of the
winter restore the hosptable equilibrium of both,
and in beautiful sociability all other rivaries
are forgotten until the next county fair.
"However, these fairs, whatever rivalries and
jeaousies they temporarily excite, are good things
and have done wonders in the way of squirting
emulation that have pushed both counties far In
advance of their neiphbor RS"