The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-09-15
Gveaf Plans tor Opening
 Of he Alabama Sfafe FdiY

Mark ed progress has been made in
 preparations for the Alabama state fair
 which opens it's gates in Birmingham October to continue for d season of eight days Every detail of the com plicated machinery is well in hand and prospects all up and down the line are for the biggest and best fair ever held in the state General Manager
 George T. Barnes and his staff of as- sistants at the fair grounds office have been receiving a surprisingly large number of inquiries during the past few weeks, and every day the mail grows heavier.
 Indications are that the farmers of Alabama will make display that has never been rivaled in this section. Tho manag gement's prizes for agricultural products are unusually high, and the result has been most gratifying. The sum of s1S50 offered for the best ex- hibits by county organizations has met with marked response and this feature Is expected to be one of the best at the fair. In all other lines of farm products requests for space are com ing in so rapidly that 1t may be nec- essary to provide extra room. As tine Alaba ma fair is for the Alabama farm CT every encoura cement will be given this department.
 Industrial plants of the district have promised to make the best showing of steel, iron and coal ever seen at state fair. The woman's department, the educa tional department, the poultry de- partment, the floral department, the live stock department and all the other sections into which the exhibit fea- lures of the fair are divided combine in making encourag ging reports of pro gross. It seems certain that the Ala bama state fair. from the point of view of showing Alabama products will be the high water mark in the state nis- tory.
 Letters from all over this section in dicate that the crowds will be here to enjoy the exposition. A party of eN- perts are now on the road conducting an advertising campaign that was never before attempted in this part of the south With fifty-three thousand pieces of advertising matter, including hand some fac simile half tone posters, the igners are plasternS every city, town and hamlet in Alabama with a fringe for good measure into the four states. The prosperous cotton prices, cheap railroad transpor- tation an dother conditions will tend to make the crowd it is believed, the Fig gest ever seen in Birmingham on a similar occasion.
 Realizing that the people have tn be the management has engaged eight special attractions, headed by Ba Id wins airship and ending with Rube Sh iel ds, the funny man. Captain Thon as S. Baldwin, the man who made and operated the first airship ever flown in America. will make daily flights al :he fair grounds in his aerial yacht, the "California Arrow" Captain Baldwin has toured for three years and every where has made good. He will jump from Halifax, Nova Scotia, to !3irminB ham. arriving here the first week in October to prepare his big airship for it's flights. Captain Baldwin is known as a daring aeronaut, and he will let nothing short of a cyclone prevent his airsh ip stunts at the fair grounds.
 ''F1eetfoot," the worlds only racing ostrich. will be seen in a speed contest in half mile heats for any horse in the 2:2O class. He comes from Ford's ostrich farm. Tampa. Fla. and will be driven by his owner "Fleetfoot will be n novel attraction.
 Romola, one of the countrys well known balloonists will be shot from q cannon while hundreds of feet above ground, descending in his parachute in an act that is said to be sensational in the extreme The Seven Moors and Jean and Marie Wetzman will perform on the flying trapeze and the high wire. respectively, in what is reported to be d striking exhibition of skill and daring. Clayton Jenkins and Jasper two men and donkey, and Rube Shields. the funny man, will be there to amuse the crows.
 Ricci's Italian band, fresh from an entire season engagement at the White