The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-09-09
THE COUNTY FAIR.
As Successful as That Made Famous
By Neil Burgess.
FARMERS FESTIVAL RIGHT
UP TO DATE.

Nearly Ten Thousand Were on the
Ground-How the Ladies Scampered
When the Balloon Came Down-Weary
Willie on Bike-Exciting Sport Fur
nished by the Trotters.
The term formerly heard good deal
oftener than ow to describe the country
fairs just hits the county show at Cor
ham. 1t is in reality farmers festi-
VAL" if the presence of the people from
the country towns is any indication. The
has asked the people of the
county to go to Gorham and see If the
fair is up to date. 1t is, for besides good
exhibition of the agricultural resources of
this part of Maine, it has the best of the
latest wrinkles In the way of attractions
for big show of the kind. OF course
there are the balloonist and the trick
bicycle rider and q host of other features.
Yesterday was almost record breaker
in the history of the association in the
way of attendance. Among the earliest
of the arrivals were the people who came
in their carriages from homes in many
cases score of miles away. There were
SO many vehicles on the grounds that all
the fences were lined by tethered horses
and the carriages stood several rows deep
in the space bordering on the track. The
people brought the little folks and while
the men wan ered around the grounds
the women and children sat in the car
riages and saw the fun on the track. At
noon time there We're thousands eating
all at once on the grounds. Family par
ties sat in the carry -alls with the big
lunch baskets open. Others sought quiet
places !. in the shade and sat on the
ground. Still others patronized the res
taurants and the booths over black of the
grand stand SO that wherever one went
during the middle of the day he saw peo-
pie eating and drinking and all having a
good time. The people who came in car
riages were not however, the larger part
OF the crowd, although their. teams made
q big feature in the view. Yesterday
was Westbrook day when many of the
places of business in the nearby city
were closed and the people turned out by
the hundreds to see the show. It was es-
timated by. Westbrook men on the grounds
that 1900 of thu residents of that city were
In Narragansett park yesterday afternoon.
With them came large crowds from Port
land and Deering SO that when the rae
ing was in progress nearly every seat in
the grand stand was occupied and the
space around it was crowded. Fully 5000
people were on the ground and some put
the figure as high as 10000. And as had
been said they found the show right up
to date.
THE FUN OBJ THE FORENOON.
On the mornings programme was ball
game between the Presumpscots and
rhe Saccarappas, and the rival mines
showed that they are in some respects at
least just like the National league clubs.
for they disagreed over decision Of the
umpire and the result was a forfeited
game. 1t was in the first inning that the
umpire made the decision to which the
Presumpscots objected and theyTrefused
to continue the game which was accord
ingly forfeited to the other.side. Then
the boys thought it all over and decided
to bury the hatchet, SO they will play
two games today, one in the morning to
settle the fair championship. and an ex-
Inhibition game in the afternoon.
Then in the morning there was the
pulling by theAbig, patient oxen, which
tugged away oft the drag while their driv-
ers urged them on to their endeavors.
There were two classes and this is the
way it came out. In the class for oxen
girthing seven feet, six inches and under, |
Frank Morrison of Gorham brought out
q yoke of lively pullers and the way
they yanked the drag over 23 feet and
eight inches of the soil of the Narragan-
sett park delighted the farmers and won
them the first prize. 2. NJ Martin of Bux-
ton Centre. had the pair which did the
next best, and they got the second place
and a record of 20 feet, II inches. w.
B. Hall of Winhdam has pretty good
yoke of pullers. although. they do not
seem to be in the same order as the two
leaders. They got the third position
with record of 16 feet and nine inches.
In the competition for oxen seven feet,
six inches an over, the two Jokes entered
by Simeon Tracy of Deering took the first
and third places with records of 81 feet,
slight inches, and II feet, tnine inches, re-
spectiyely. The yoke belonging to Oscar
E, Deering of South Buxton, took the
second prize, pulling the drag 20 feet and
one inch.
The crowds who were at the fair in the
hours had good chance to
watch the fakirs and that is we'll worth
the price of admission. The fakirs at
The Gorham fair do business in the region
back OF the grand stand and they have
quite collection of rival attractions
there. There is the man with the device
BY which you get two cigars every time
you drop the ball on to the green covered
BOARD, and he explains that there is no
money in giving cigars away two for five
,ents, but the owners of the goods are do
ng it as An advertisement, because they
want to introduce the cigars to the smok-