St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1897-02-06
After "tne Mainest Thing"

You can see from the newspapers that
our last county fair was roarin big
success. Everybody was there for miles
and miles around. The gate money
piled up seandlous fast, and conse-
quentially the fair is now out of debt
ahead of the hounds, with no fences to
climb.
In these days of hard and hard times
you mought maybe wonder how that
come to pass.
Well, the fair come out way behind
the music last year, and it took our level
blamdest to raise the necessary managers
10 give another performance. But in
the main time old man BunkWeather-
ford had been elected to place on the
board. And when they met to count
noses and fsurate on the question
whether to take out and quit or pro-
ceed with the performance, and man
Bunk riz up, he did, and took the floor.
''The mainest thing which we want,
fellow citizens, is the crowd and the
money which the crowd would conse-
quentially bring in" says he. "We
don't need no marvelsome big show, but
we must have horse races-good horse
races and plenty of horse races-high
steppcrs and record breakers.
''Ilsnow human nature as she is in this
country" old man Bunk went on, land
everybody loves to see a tip-top good
horse race. Give US plenty Of fast
horses, and races steady and constant
every day, and we are bound to draw the
people. and when the crowd comes it
will bring the money.
Understand me now, am for the
county fair, and you can put me in the
fight--boots, blanket, saddle and bride.
We can't give up the sideshows, but yet
still at the same time the mainest thing
is the crowd and the money. In or
derment to let all farmers in we must
have a few big punkins and a hamper
basket of corn-red and yaller corn,
with the shucks turned backwards so
it will look pritty. On them general
grounds the farmers can come to the
county fair and bring their folks, pay
the gate money and--see the races
.tThen we must have at least one
large and lovely quilt and whole
passle of fancy homemade garments
SO the ladies can turn out in great
droves to take in the fair and-see the
races.
Moreover, fellow citizens, / ruther
think 1t mought be best to scrap up a
few fine chickens and fantail pigeons,
and pigs and animals and things to
please the children, you understand, SO
the old folks can turn out anonymous
ly and bring all the children to view the
sights and-see the races. 1t never
would do to give up the show for good
and all, but the mainest thing is the
crowd and the money-and the races"
Well, the board had all to win and
nothin to lose, SO with risin vote they
passed the movement made by the
levol-headed gentleman from the Flat
Woods. They went in for horse races
and let the fair mostly take care of it.
self. They had the fastest horses and
the most races in all the recorded his
tory of the county. There was little
something scattered around in all the
various and sundry departments
enough to call it fair, so everybody
could come and bring all their kinnery,
for the honor and glory of the grandest
and most loveliest country on the broad
bosom of the earth, and to see the races.
AT the people, at the people, at the peo-
plei
From the way things turned out the
fair was give up to be a tremendous big
success. And to everybody on the
grand stand it is as plain as painted
horse rack in ten acres of burnt woods
that old man Bunk Wetherford's sec
ont wife's husband totes a head as big
as a hamper basket and as level as o
squash.