The times., 1889-10-04
Is our County Fair Doomed?
Owosso, SEPT. 80. Is

Owosso, SEPT. 80, 1889.
Yes, if the citizens of the county do not
come to the rescue.
Generalization seems to be the order OF
the day in everything.
We have on the east of us the Detroit Ex-
position, which is an assured success. The
State fair at Lansing is to be a pc ornament
one and will be made more of success
every year, while the people west of us will
strive to vie with Detroit and Lansing and
the Grand Rapids fair will be made the CEN
ter of attraction for that part of our state
North of us at Saginaw they have one of
the best arranged fair grounds in the state
and will attract the people of that growing
section. So we in Shiawassee county are
hemmed in OH all side with large and pros
porous exhib ibitions which are to be the at
fractions for the future for the whole state.
Now why not make the fair at Owosso the
center of attraction for these adjoining coun-
ties. There is nothing to hinder, and it
can be made a grand success provided the
citizens of this growing city will only say it
shall be, we have it i'm our power to have as
good fair as any county in the state.
But in order to accomplish that object the
managers must use a more liberal policy in
their dealings with the people. They must
give up that penny wise and pound foolish
notion. They must remember that it is not
the large amount that they get from the few
but that it is the small amount that they
get from the many. There is enthusiasm
in numbers. People will be attracted by
crowds. How often do we hear it said
There is no one going to the fair so won't
60" But when the attractions are such
that people are induced to go and when
they return, and everybody says, ''that is
Splendid" there is no trouble in getting
crowds. The question is, how shall we ar
rive at these results?
The first thing for us to do is to see that
the managers are men of broad and liberal
thought who can see what will be for the
best interests and success of the enterprise.
Premiums must be liberal. Awards must
be made on the merits of the article and
for the care and comfort of stock and their
owners while, OH the grounds. Every
person must be made to feel that
this is my fair. And above all the mer-
chants and manufacturers of our city must
take an interest in the display of their mer-
chandise and wares. The halls must be
filled up. 1t can be at small cost and little
trouble. Our wives must also take an in
terest and show their handiwork. We all
should do our duty whether we can see the
immediate results accruing back to our
pockets or not. / visited the fair at Sagi-
nav last week and these thoughts came to
me more forcibly than ever as l saw the in
terest manifested there. have visited very
large expositions but never saw one where
the whole people seemed to vie with each
other in trying to make it success. Their
art gallery was just splendid, and the whole
fair seemed to be so nicely arranged and so
well conducted.
There is one other abuse that our fairs
have run into that has impressed itself on
me, and that is, so much jockeying in the
races We all like to see good horse and
one that has speed in him. He enjoys the
fun with us. But this inhuman treatment
of so much scoring before they can get a
start should be set down ON so hard that
jockeys should understand that they must
deal fair or they will ordered off the track.
Horses can be trained to stand under the
wire and start at the word go, thus giving
all the same chance.
1t is to be hoped that move will be made
in that direction so that the Objectionable
features of the race course shall be speedily
done away with.
Yours for the best County Fair in the
State. EXIT.