The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-10-20
Many People Visited Grounds
on Yesterday.
FORMAL OPENING TO-DAY
More Exhibits han Were Ever
Before Known.
THREE GOOD RACES FOR TO-DAY
a Procession Headed by Chief Mar
shall Mckissick and Assistants VIII
Form at the Marlborough
all O'Clock.

ssWhat do YOU think of the Fair up
to date?" | asked a level-headed man
who takes a great deal of interest in
such matters, as we came back from
the grounds on the car last night
think of it2'' he answered. Why,
sir, | think it is going to be the best
Fair the people of North Carolina have
had for many a year. In the first
place there are more exhibits being
put in place right now than | ever re-
member to have seen, even when the
Fair was at its best, and the authorl-
ties tell me there are almost as many
more still to come, most of them to-
night and tomorrow. But it is big
Fair already. All it lacked to-day
was the crowd. But the people are
coming. 1t is unusual for the Fair to
be open to visitors on Monday and our
people haven't gotten used To it yet.
There'lI be good crowd here to-mor-
row. and next day, and on Thursday
uhere'll be one of the biggest crowds
YOU ever saw here at a State Fair. The
people are taking personal interest
in the matter this year and there is
such manifestation of State pride as
1 have never before seen"
what he thought of the prospects on
the eve of the formal opening.
.They were never BETTER" he said,
ssand I'll tell you why. Last year the
business men and other public spirit
ed citizens of this town raised nearly
$4,000 by voluntary contributions and
paid the Agricultural Association out
of debt, and now, more than ever, they
feel a personal interest and enthusi-
asm in the occasion. Every Raleigh
man considers the Fair, to some extent,
his very own-a sort of personal prep
erty that he is letting out to visitors
to have good time with"
This man went on to say that the
people of Raleigh had thought they
were more than doing their part in
the matter of exhibits this year, but
10 and behold, everybody else in the
State is doing the same thing. And
/ tell you," he added, fits going to
be Fair of which the people of North
Carolina may well feel proud"
This, of course, is just the impress
sion of two representative indiVid-
uals, but all the visitors who went
10 the grounds yesterday say practi-
cally the same thing.
Many finishing touches are yet to be
given to the exhibits. There. were
but comparatively few of them COM
plete yesterday. But the work was
going forward rapidly.
Floral Hall looked like vast human
bee hive. The sound of the saw and
hammer was heard everywhere, and
vans and wagons were constantly ar
irving loaded with exhibits to be adj
ded to those already installed in the
huge building.
Floral Hall, proper, is as usual the
gem of the Fair. Here are displayed
the finest and costliest of the exhib-
it's. Perhaps the most unique and
elaborate of these, certainly the one
that will attract the most attention
is,as usual, that of Col. Julian S. Carr's
famous Occoneechee Farm. Another is
that of W. III. q r. S. Tucker d Co.
Sherwood Riggs and Company have
also an elaborate display. Other Raj
eiglh firms that already have their ex-
hibits In place are Darnell and
Thomas, Julius Lewis and Company,
I'hos. III. Briggs, Royal and Borden,
ii. Steinmetz, w. II. Hughes, Thomas
and Campbell, Frank Stronach, e. II.
Wyatt and Son, Edwards and Brough-
ton and many others
The educational exhibit is some
thing new, but something that will
attract the attention Of every serious
visitor to the Fair. In it is a poem
and a prophecy combined The ex
hibits, beautiful and ingenious i'm
themselves, are artistieally arranged
and, formed by the hands of the stu
dents in North Carolina schools, they
give an earnest of what the rising gen
GRAFTON are being taught to accom-
plish in the world for themselves and
for humanity. There is no more in
teresting spot in all the Fair Grounds
than among these exhibits. The Uni
versity, State Normal and Industrial
School, Peace Institute, ST. Mary's,