The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-09-12
STATE FAIR GROUNDS.
Many Changes and Improvements
Railroads Should at Once An
nounce the Cent-a-Mile Rate.

When President Cameron and Secre-
tary Nichols get throughwithth the State
Fair grounds almost a transformation
viii have been accomplished.
The entire lower floor of the grand
stand which has been used for restau-
rants and lunch counters has been
converted into one of the finest stables
connected with any grounds in the
country. There are forty-eight large
stalls, with exhibition doors, and wide
aisles for exercising the horses. The
fine horses will be shown here where
all can see them. Twenty stalls have
already been engaged, and the carpen-
tiers are not vet through with their
work The stalls for horses entered
in the races will be at the usual place,
in rear of the midway" The Mid
way will be found doing business at
the old stand when the fair opens. The
space between Floral Hall and the
race-track will be filled with free seats
for the accommodation of women and
children. 1t win be a general resting
place The Midway will fill all the
space from the Hall to the grand-stand
The principal change will be in
Floral Hall, the name of which is
changed to General Exhibition Hall, -
painted in big black letters on the
front. The octagon-shaped affair in
the centre is to be torn out entirely
and a rotuda created. An open music
stand will be placed in the centre.
Alb. Stronach's dry goods store, POOLS
shoe store, Hughes crockery store and
a prominent jewelry firm will have
handsome exhibits on all the four
sides, while the wall space is reserved
for crayon and oil paintings. The
cupola room is to be occupied by the
administration department of the Fair
and will contain President Cameron's
office and a general meeting hall.
Steps to this division will be placed
outside the building
Nearly all the space in the entire
buildings has been taken. Wander
bits exhibit and the exhibit of Holt
and Homewood are to be pitted against
each other on opposite sides of the
hall. The Biltmore people have built
a table hundred feet long and eight
feet wide and Holt and Homewood
have taken the same amount of space.
The poultry department is in the
hands of an expert, Mr.. f. E. Hege,
and the exhibit will be the largest
ever seen in the South. The space
for the improved poultry coops is $50
feet by 210, and every single inch of
it is taken.
The race track has been we'll kept
all the year and is in fine condition.
The races this year will be held under
the rules of the American Trotting
Association, and an expert starter has
been secured.
An expert judge of cattle has also
been engaged. This insures absolute
fairness.
Secretary Nichols has written to the
Southern, the Seaboard Airline and
other roads asking for the cent-a-mile
rate to the Fair. This is of paramount
Importance. Every time the railroads
have given the cent-a-mile rate the
Fair has been a great success. In
these hard times most people cannot
afford to pay ttha regular rate, and if
that is the best the roads will do,
they will not come.
If the railroads give the cent-a-milo
rate it will take every car they have
to bring the people, and will be money
in their pockets. The rate should be
given now and announced at once.