The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1905-09-22
PLAN FOR BIC FAIR
MankatO Men Start the Ball
Rolling Today.
Grounds in North End of City
Are Suggested.
Option on The J A. Willard
Property is Secured.
Meeting 10 Discuss Matter Cali
ed for Monday Night.
From Mondays Daily.

From Mondays Daily
What can be considered as the first
step toward the formation OF fair as
ISOLATION in this city was taken today
and there is every reason to believe that
the plans of the promoters OF this com
mendabe enterprise will receive the full
endorsement of business men and citi
zens generally. 1t is proposed to pnr-
chase twenty five acres OF land in the
northern end of town and transform
them into a fair grounds. The land III
question is owned by the j. \. Willard
heirs and is better known as the "cir-
Gus grounds" This property can be
had for So 200. the payments to be made
within ten years at 4 per cent interest.
The Willards do not demand anything
down.
The originators of this fair proposition
are the members of the executive com
mittee that had the mid summer festival
in charge. This committee is made up
of Henry Hanee, George Atchison and
John Krost. The committee realized a
profit of 81 .000S5 from the festival and
it is proposed that this money be dona
ted 10 the fair association to assist in
putting the grounds in shape for fair
ho no
matter under consideration for several
weeks and has looked the city over care
grounds. 1t was found that the Willard
property is the most available for the
purposes to which the committee intends
they shall be put.
1t is conceded by those who have been
interviewed on the subject that the sum
of money mentioned could be put to no
better use. The site is considered
admirable for fair grounds, base ball
park, race track and the display of
the resources of not only Blue Earth
southern Minnesota, for it is intended
that the fair shall be one in which all
this section of the state should become
interested 1t has been suggested that
the name of the corporation shall be
the Southern Minnesota Fair and Driy
ing association or something similar.
A few days ago an expert in his par
ticular line visited Mankato and looked
over the Willard property. He was
free to say that the soil is peculiarly
adapted to the construction of a first
class half-mile race track.
The committee is hopeful that ar
rangements can be made to gain control
of the property at once, erect fence
and make gridiron within the enclosure
so that the high school and normal foot
ball teams can play their games thereon
during the fall.
The promoters of the fair proposition
have suggested several things in comec-
tion with the ground arrangements, such
as having the grand stand erected close
to the base ball and football grounds, so
that the spectators will have no trou-
BILE in witnessing the games.
The committee is DESTROYS of enlisting
the support of all the people of Man
kato in this new enterprise. With. this
end in view meeting to discuss the
subject of organizing fair association
has been called for Monday evening next
at the council chamber. 1t is hoped
that there will be large gathering of
the representative citizens as this is a
matter which certainly should interest
them. 1t is the purpose of the origina-
tors of the fair association to incor-
porate, issue stock and conduct the af-
fairs of the organization on a purely
business basis.
One block of the twenty acres is
owned by a party who has expressed
a willingness to sell on reasonable terms
Mankato is certainly an ideal place
for the holding of fair such as has
been proposed. This city is railroad
center and it has always "made good
whenever it has undertaken anything in
the line of instruction and amusement
1t is up to the railroads entering Man
kato to boost this project along. 1t is
to their interest as well as those liv-
ing here that the enterprise shall be
made a success.
Everybody who wants to help Man
kato should attend the meeting on Mon
day night.
The committee has secured sixty
day option on the Willard property.
Residents in the north end of the city
should become interested in the under
taking as holding the fairs there will
do much to build up that section.
A marriage license was granted today
to Henry d. Wehrenberg of Rushmore
n OIL of