The Portland daily press., 1897-09-03
new MANAGEMENT.
Mr.. Isaiah Pompilly at the Head Of
the State Fair.
Mr.. GEORGE H. CLARK SUCCEEDS
SECRETARY TWITCHELL.


Election-Glimpses at Some Unique
Features of the Fair-Rumors That 1t
May Re Different in the Future-Life
Members and Their Tickets.
ESPECIAL TO THE PREss.l
Lewiston, September 2.-The State Fair
Is unique among the exhibitions Of the
kind annually held in Maine. 1t Is
place where the eye is greeted upon en-
tering the grounds by the sight of tent
labelled Good Templars' headquarters
and containing another sign which reads,
"The use of tobacco is pr rohibited here"
The Maine law is observed at the park
and the ladies of the W. G. Z. U. conduct
a restaurant there. There is no midway
and the place Of the barkers is taken by
the shouters for the rival restaurants
Nobody need go hungry at the State fair,
for in the absence of other means of di-
version there Is always the booth or the
restaurant staring the visitor in the face.
The races are we'll fought contest, but they
do not allow pool selling. The State fair
is conducted in short in such way that
the people who throng through it's gates
have plenty of opportunity to study the
agricultural and pomological resources of
Maine and are well protected against the
intrusion of the kind of diversions which
while popular at the shows are some
times criticized on the ground that they
are not elevating the people that come to
the fair.
Secretary Twitchell said tonight that
the attendance would equal that of last
year but the receipts from ground rent
would fall off. There are people in Lew
iston apparently. judging from the talk
heard here who would not object to ad-
dition to the ground rents from few of
the shows which are perhaps amusing but
hardly sselevating.a
The fair contains some really fine ex-
hibits. This is especially true of the cat
tie which are representative Of the best
stock of the farms Of Central Maine.
There is noticeable absence of entries
from York and Cumberland counties
and from the eastern part of the state.
Here and there entries from those Sec
tions may be found, but they are few.
The exhibits of dairy products and fruits
are noticeably praiseworthy. The State
fair is the cause of great gathering of
grange members and they have been
holding meetings today at which Hon.
Edward Wiggin and others have made
addresses. These meetings are held in a
tent in that part Of the grounds which
may be called the village. 1t resembles a
campmeeting and is another Of the dis
tinctive features OF the State fair. Over
back of the cattle sheds is grove, along
one side of which stand a row of small
frame cottages, while in the midst Of the
trees are the tents of the campers. Here
people come and live during the week of
the fair and here in the big tent are held
the meetings Of the grange and other
bodies. The cottages in some instances
have signs over the doors bearing the
names of the towns from which the oc-
oupants come. This year quite number
of these houses seem to be unoccupied,
but-to offset that there are several new
ones at one end Of the row. The dwell
lers in the grove are apparently well ac-
quainted and strangers seldom stray in
that direction. Possibly this is explana-
ton enough Of the picture presented by
a fair dweller in one of the tents this
morning as she stood in the entrance
to the canvas domicile noncbalantly
in wild profusion over her shoulders.
The Central. Maine appetite is curiosi-
ty. Pies are in great demand and here
as elsewhere the popcorn man does a
thriving .s trade. The clam man is the
interesting figure in the army of caterers.
He stands in buggy around which have
been placed some boards to make coun-
ter. On the buggy seat are a number of
small saucers looking very much like
soap dishes and beneath the seat is big
can of CLAIMS. They are apparently raw,
but as to that the writer cannot give evil
dence. When the clam man finds GUS
tomer-and they are pretty numerous-a
soap dish with generous supply of CLAIMS
is dropped from the buggy to the board
and fork descends with it. The soap
dish having been emptied of its CLAIMS is
seized by the owner, rinsed in pail of
water and thrown on the buggy seat to
dry in the sun. The clam mans outfit
is a whole resta urant in an open wagon,
and more than that 1t seems to be popu-
lar one.
While there are no dime shows on the
grounds, there are fakirs by the dozen.
There Is the familiar black whiskered
visage of the man VIII ose stentorian
tones tell how he gives away five whips
at the same time selling you one for a
dollar; SO that you get six whips and pay
for only one Of them. Then there Is the
chap who has wonderful preparation for
sharpening knives and shows its virtues
by grabbing the bystanders' hands and
shaving the hair from their wrists. The
man with the brass jewelry and the
spectacle vendor are also very much in