Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1889-08-15
THE OHIO STATE FAIR.

Great preparations are being made for
the State Fair and Industrial Exposition
which opens at Columbus on Monday,
September I'd and continues until Sat
urday, September 9TH. 1t is to be an
exhibition on an enlarged and extended
scale compared with the usual State
Fairs, and and yet will retain all the
interesting and instructive features of
the Fair. The enlargement of the Fair
is made possible by the addition of the
exposition buildings erected in 1888 for
the occasion of the Ohio Centennial,
which have become permanent fixtures
on the State Fair Grounds. AS now
equipped these grounds are the most
complete in the United States for agri-
cultural fair and industrial exposition
purposes.
The State Board of Agriculture, un-
der whose auspices the exhibition is
held, announces that every department
will be complete and that the exposition
buildings will be filled with a class of
exhibits representing the best and most
highly improved in agriculture and the
mechanic arts, the choicest displays from
the various branches of merchandise,
galleries of art, halls of music, flowers
and plants in profusion and an entire
building devoted to domestic arts and
the handiwork of woman.
The entire exhibition Will be arranged
in departments, each properly classified
and distributed throughout the building.
The several live stock departments
are also well provided with a class of
fine barns and buildings in which to
care for and exhibit stock to the best
advantage. A grand cattle ampithea-
ter is a marked improvement over the
old fashioned ring for showing CATTLE
1t affords comfortable and shady seats
for spectators and a large ring into
which the cattle are brought for inspec-
ton and the awarding of prizes.
For the horse department there is
now speed track of perfect regulation,
with all the appointments of a first-class
race course, including grand stand am
pie to comfortably seat six thousand
persons. On the now highly improved
speed track will be given trotting
and pacing contests each day of the
fair, and such extra attractions as to
make this department particularly en-
jOyable to the lovers of the turf.
A special engagement has been made
with the Knights of Ivanhoe, an organ
ization noted for its great skill in horse
manship, which on Thursday and Fri
day will conduct, on the speed track,
one of the most interesting tournaments
it has ever been the pleasure of fair
going people to witness. The tourna-
ment will consist of magnificent parades
and drills by hOrsemen richly dressed as
gallant Knights of the sixteenth Centu-
ry, mounted on thoroughbreds, capari-
sOned in Knightly style and trappings
TIting contests and the crowning of
Queen of Love and Beauty will form
the exciting features of the tournament.
1t would be impossible to describe these
rare sports; they must be seen to be ap-
preciated.
Columbus being so centrally located
thepeople from all parts of the State can
attend the Exposition. The grounds
are easily and quickly accessible by
steam cars, street cars, electric cars,
chariots, &c, so that no time need be
lost in getting to the grounds on arrival
at the union depot.