The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-10-22
STREET FAIR OVER
King Kon Left His throne at
Midnight
PRESIDENT COIN PREDICTS
That Next Year Will See Still
a Bigger Fair.

The street fair is over. At exactly mid
night last night King Corn climbed dowr
from his throne, motioned for the lights
to go out and ordered a special train OF
which he will go to Guthrie this morning
There were only a few stragglers abou
the booths. The Midway dancers had
gone and the tents were being taker
down. The property men were crying
as they pulled the stakes, "he-o-heave.'
The sword fighters in short garb were the
last to leave. The curtain had beer
drawn on all the booths. The candy sell.
ers and chile vendors were offering the
remainder of their wares to the occasion
al wanderer at half price. Not regret
fully, however for it had been a big
week for them. President Cohn and Sec
rotary Lockwood were standing under
the lights at the ticket window settling
accounts with Mr. De Kreko. Men were
pillng up stakes and ropes and canvas
and early this morning the Midway will
leave for Guthrie, where the street fair
will open al Monday noon.
The attendance yesterday at the
grounds was heavy. People didn't sem "
get tired of seeing the displays The
crowd last night was another jam.
About ? o'clock King Corn in his state
carriage passed under the big arch and
the street fair was done
1t was a success from the very first.
Next year" said President Cohn, I'VE
viii have d greater entertainment than
this. Well not only have the greatest
entertainment Wichita ever had, buttwe'll
have the greatest one Kansas ever saw
in the way of a street fair or any other
kind of entertainment"
This was the sentiment OF almost every
merchant IN the city. A representative
of the Eagle called at forty-four differ
ent stores Of every kind, dry goods,
clothing, shoes, drugs. furniture, gro
ceries, stationery, etc. The answer at
all the dry goods and clothing stores was
that this has been the biggest week
Wichita ever had in her retail trade. The
rush begun with Tuesday morning and
got heavier every day Of the week until
Saturday night. Mr.. Cohn estimated
that 900 was left in the city since
Monday night by visitors to the fair
Everybody is in favor Of having another
one and bigger one next year. The men
who handled this one know more about
handling a fair now and next year they
viii begin earlier. The fair this year was
gotten up in very short time, consider
ing the enormous amount of work that
was accomplished. 1t was only a little
more than FIVE weeks from the time the
Commercial club took the matter up until
the show was over and the gates closed.
President Cohn. as we'll as other mem
bers Of the committee worked inces-
sanity almost from the very beginning
The general committee certainly accom-
plished great task in a very short time
Chairman Goldsmith of the ways and
means committee, reported about 5000 of
the street fair buttons sold. Only 1000
were ordered and a disposition Of 90 per
cent. of the total number is an evidence
of the great popularity of the carnival
design. This is a source of considerable
revenue to the general committee, and the
profit on the buttons will pay off many
a little expense bill incurred in getting
the carnival under way
It took about POO worth Of lumber to
construct the booths and this is saying
nothing about the big arch at the en-
trance, which was very expensive in con-
struction and lighting for a temporary
affair There was the most elaborate
display Of white and colored lights. The
entire cost of the arch and all the en-
closure lumber and labor was not less
than 5000 and probably exceeded that.
The definite cost of the entire affair IS
not known yet, but it will probably be
somewhere between IS 900 and $1,000. The
matter of advertising was an item of
heavy expense. There was thousands Of
the most elaborate Autograph show
sheets, newspaper advertising and the ex-
pense of men on the road for a week
or ten days to put up the posters.
An estimate of the cost of the fair is
approximately as follows:
Personal subscriptions ................. 400
Receipts from Midway. 1900
Privileges ............ .........-.e.....-. 2,449
Other moneys, sale of buttons, etc 900
Total funds ............................S $40
This is only an estimate Not all the
collections have been made and privi-
lege moneys have not all been paid. The
total expense will probably exceed the
income by $500. or in other words the fair
cost Wichita between $500 and $500.
MIDWAY ATTENDANCE.
The total sale of tickets for the Mid