Rosebud County news. [volume] (Forsyth, Mont.) 1901-1906, 1905-07-06
PORTLAND FAIR
ATTENDANCE
Beats the Previous Records
Far Ahead Of Omaha
Exposition.

sition will prove to be a notable sue
practically foregone conclusion,
though it has been open less than a
month. 1t has had a larger attend
ance for the first three weeks, in pro-
portion to the population of Portland
and it's vicinity, than any other expo
sition ever held in the United States.
Figures complied by John A. Wake
field, the director of concessions and
admissions who has been connected
with half dozen expositions, show
that the Portland Fair has enjoyed an
attendance up to date 200 percent
greater than any other exposition,
considering the population within a
radius of 500 miles.
Approximately 1900, 900 people live
within 500 miles of Portland. Since
the opening day, June l, the daily at
tendance at the Fair has averaged
IA, l27. The city of Portland has
about lao, 600 inhabitants. Chicago, at
the time of the Columbian Exposition,
including it's immediate suburbs, con-
tanned as many people as dwell within
Portland's 500 mile radius. Yet for
the first month of the Chicago Fair
the attendance ran from 19, 524 to 80, ,929,
excepting one special day when $4,000
people were present.
For the first twenty-five days of
the Portland Fair, ending with June
%, the admissions aggregated 80, 79S.
OF these 100, 79S were paid admissions
averaging 1909 paid admissions daily.
AS the Fair goes on, the pass admiss-
ions will decrease and the paid ad-
missions will increase. Many work.
men have been employed about the
grounds during the first few weeks,
putting the finishing touches on the ex-
hibit booths here and there, shaping
up the latter landscape work and COM
pleting some of the buildings on the
I rail, the concessions for which were
granted late. This has made the free
admission aggregate considerably
greater than it will be during the re-
mainder of the Exposition period On
the other hand, it is the experience of
all expositions that the crowds do not
begin to come until the second month,
and as a rule the largest attendance is
in September and October.
The paid admiss ions for the first
twenty-three days at Portland were
equal to the aggregate for the entire
first month at the Omaha Exposition,
Notwithstanding the fact that within
one nights ride of Omaha there were
Ia, 600, 900 people. With less than one
seventh as many inhabitants in the
corresponding territory, Portland feels
, guine expectations.
The Lewis and Clark Exposition
will run until October IS. A daily
. average no larger than that of the first
three weeks would give nearly mill
, ion paid admissions, which many ex-
perienced exposition men declared be-
: fore the opening of the Fair would be
as large an attendance as reasona bly,
could he expected from an exposition
so far from the great centres of popu-
lation. But it is the history of all ex-
positions that the first months atten-
dance is the smallest of ALL and Dir
ector Wakefield counts upon a paid
!. attendance far exceeding one million.
, Hotel bookings in Portland indicate a
far larger attendance for July and
August, while it is not to be doubted
that September and the closing days
of the fair in October will bring the
largest crowds of all.
q Kiralfy's great spectacle, "The
q Carnival of Venice, on the Lewis and
Clark Exposition Trail, opened last
+ week. This is remarkable show.
Bolossy Kiralfy has been known the
world over for many years as a success
full creator of brilliant spectacular ex.
hibitions, and this time he has sur
pass himself. There are nearly 3O(
people in the performance, including
d scores of pretty girls. Performances
n are given every afternoon and even
:, iur,