The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-10-18
Many Special Features That Will Make
This Fair One to be Remem-
bered for Years to
Come.
Come.

OOI
The biggest thing every year in Raleigh
is the North Carolina State Fair, the /,
great reunion of folks from every county |
in the State, and the State Fair of 1903,
it is boldly predicted is going to be the
biggest of all the big State Fairs, bigger
even than the one last year. This is |
not an idle prediction. 1t is BASED on
several facts that give reasonable basis
for the statement.
In the first place, there is the encamp
ment and reunion of Confederate veterans
from the entire State, which will bring
together at least thousand of the grand
est old soldiers the world ever knew, to
say nothing of their families and friends.
Gen. ]. S. Carr, commander in chief, will
be with his comrades, and Generals Ran
som, Cox, Lane, Hoke and Roberts, that
great quintette of surviving North Caro-
lima generals to whom all the world doffs
its hat. Visiting military companies will
come with the old soldiers, and Came
ron Field will be the scene of story
that will be handed down for years to
come. 1t will be feature that will make
the State Fair of 1903 famous and glorious
for all time. Nothing stirs the blood of
North Carolina people so much or awakens
such interest as a big reunion of the
old soldiers who made the Lost Cause the
oil IN ha hicf
Then the railroads have done more this
year for the State Fair than ever before,
in the way of arranging convenient sched-
ules and lots of special trains arriving in
Raleigh during the morning and leaving
iii the evening. Every railroad entering
Raleigh has put on special trains, CO.
operating perfectly with the management
of the Fair. This will enable people liv-
ing within reasonable distance of Raleigh
to come in, visit the Fair, and get back
home all the same day, and all at the rate
of one fare with a fifty cent coupon ad-
mission to the grounds attached to the
railroad ticket.
The strictly agricultural exhibit this
year will be the best and most complete
in many years. This is the original basis
of the Fair, and this time it will be ac-
ance as principal feature of the great
annual Fair of an agricultural State. In
this connection, too, there will be an
unusually fine exhibit of cattle and other
stock, and it won't be hid as it has been.
The midway will turn around back of the
Grand-Stand, and everybody will see the
fine stock of all kinds that will be here.
Never before in North Carolina has
l..
collection of farm machinery and agricul-
tural implements as will be on exhibition
at the Fair this year. 1t is especially
interesting at this time, when farm labor
is scarce in nearly all sections of the
State. This exhibit will no doubt accom-
plish much in the way of introducing our
farmers to these labor saving implements,
and showing them that they are not so
very expensive after all.
The management has seen to it that the
crowds will be amply amused. Never be-
fore have there been so many attractions
of all kinds, both free and paid. The
midway will be crowded with shows. And
some free attraction will be going on in
side the race-track almost all the time
during the busy hours. These free at
fractions are of an unusually high grade,
and they cost the Fair lots of money, but
nothing but the best was wanted, and the
best is none too good.
There will be a new kink to the mid
way. 1t will not run straight along in
front of the Grand Stand, as it has been
doing for 10 these many years, ignoring
entirely the exhibitions of stock back OF
the Grand Stand; but instead it will bend
to the right just before reaching the
stand, and pass behind it, and there will
be IA big sign to call attention to the
stock department, so that no one can go
away this time and say he did not know
there was any stock on exhibition at all.
The Grand Stand itself has been thor
oughly overhauled, repaired and made
absolutely safe. The third story has been
removed, taking off tons of dead weight
and yards and yards square of resistance
10 the wind. Entirely new steps have re-
placed the old ones, and the new steps
have been painted a dark red.
The barn-like space under the Grand
Stand, for the first time since it ceased
to be used for stalls for the horses, has
been cleaned and fitted up, and in the
east end first class la carte cafe, will
be run.
There will be an educational feature, too,
State superintendent Of Public Instruc-
ton ]. Y. Joyner yesterday notified Sec
retary Pogue that he would have two
great banners, each about ten feet long,
suspended near the entrance, one contain
ing a great map of the State showing the
educational progress of every section of
North Carolina, and the other showing tn !,
local tax districts that have been estab-
lished.
But it would be useless to try to enum-
crate in detail all the special features that
will combine to make this fair of 1908 one
that will be ever remembered, and one