Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1900-08-17

duciNe To business Progress-Paints
In Favor of street Eairs-County
AriicI. stuI Popular.
Some of the county fairs held last
year can boast of a surplus in the
treasury with which to undertake the
text one, says the indianapolis News.
others have about played rvpn." and
the remainder are behind in their
financial affairs. In good many COM
mU-t.ics where county exhibitions
nave heretofore been supported the
street fair has taken the place of the
cOuG.g far. and there are good many
fair Gtii,erS, some of whom are friend
ly ami some unfrienlly to the street
fair, who say that the time of the
street fairs supremacy is approach
ing, and that there are indications of
its crowding out the county fair. The
street fair is a wide departure frou the
old time county exhibition. but still in
cludes the best features of the older
one. Some newer things have ap-
peared in the street fair that have
caused the people generally to take
more readily to it. The county fair
men say that they have about reached
the end of their resources in providing
fresh entertainment, and in places
where this end has been reached the
street fair has appeared. The old
county grounds have been closed, and
the fairs were this year given in the
streets of the towns.
1t was not so many years ago. the
county managers say, when county
| fairs In themselves were sufficient to
satisfy the people who attended them.
| The agricultural exhibits, horse races
and prize stock rings brought about
strong competition, and the crowds at
! tended without any additional attrac-
tions being necessary. But the man
| ayers gradually began to look for new
er features as the patrons of the fairs
| began to tire of the old. They tried
! balloon ascensiOnS. with good deal of
| success; hippodromc races struck the
popular chord for time. and then
something had to be found to take
their places. Then came the side
shows. museums and similar tented at
| fractions that were foreign to the real
county fair idea. but which served to
draw crowds and at the same time en-
rich the treasury of fair association.
In time the monStrositics and cheap
tricl stcrs failed in their magnetism.
The fair managers say they could have
gone on providing new features had
the amount of patronage, even when
greatest been sufficient to meet the
expenses. Rut at present, they say
the county fair has been driven back
to pretty near its original lines.
There are a good many things to rec
ommend street fair. 1t gives the peO
pie n chance to dress their town in hol
iday effect, and it also gives the bust
ness man an opportunity which he docs
not have if a crowd is on a fair grounC
at the edge of town. In the street fail
1.-The crowd is kept constantly in motion
There Is no grand stand. no race track
and the objects of interest are widely
scattered. Usually free performances
along a theatrical line are given. Be
cause the business men can bring the
crowds to the doors of their stores ant
hold them there all day they have be
come more liberal in the subscription.
to street fairs than they ever were tC
county fairs. The county fair mana
gers say that. while the street fair may
be superior in some ways to the ole
fashioned exhibitions. in other respect,
it is not so good. The street fair l.
frequently accompanied by gamblers
pickpockets and thieves, who have bet
ter chances than they ever did at ;
far behind the idea that fair is fol
the farmer and his products.
Where street fairs have been helt
there is a division of opinion as to th'
effect, good many persons arguing
that the immoral side more than off
sets any advantages. In Greenfield
and Rushville the experiment wa
tried of giving both county ant
street fair at different times. The re
port is that the street fairs made
money for these towns, while thC
county fair failed to bring in the usua
returns. In both towns opinion is di
vided as to which fair was the more
valuable along all lines. The county
fair promoters say the advance prepa
rations for street fairs in this state arr
more extensive than ever, and that ;
large number of them will be held. Ii
n good many counties the older fairs
will not be crowded out, and the opin
ion is that these exhibitions will con
tinue through a number of years, o
until the patronage dwindles. if it eve
does, to point where the fair vii
have to quit The managers say th'
county fair is venerable institution
one so strong that it is not going tt
die without making further struggle
for existence.