The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1907-07-29
FUTURE OF FAIR IS
UNCERTAIN MATTER
HagerStoWn Association Has
Not Decided Upon Course
For Next Year.
MANY SUGGESTIONS MADE.
1T is AGREED ON ALL HANDS
THAT MANAGEMENT MADE
MISTAKE IN HOLDING THE
FAIR SO EARLY.

| Hagerstown, Ind, July 29.-The Ha
gerstown fair-g ground looks like de-
serted village. the stand men, show
men. exhibitors and horsemen. like un-
to the Arab, having folded their tents
and stolen silently away during the
might. The great majority went to
EMiddletown. while few went to North
Vernon. some TO Ohio. and some who
went broke" started for their homes
OF this latter class were number of
stand men and showmen. who. on ac-
count of the association calling the fair
off owing to bad weather, were out
their privilege money and claimed to
be down and out unless the association
refunded all or a part of their ground
rent. These people made very de-
termined appeal to the management
of the fair for a rebate, and after con-
sidering the matter the association de-
cided TO refund twenty per cent of the
ground rent
1t has not vet been decided by the
association whether premiums will be
paid in full or whether a fair will be
held next year, but they will be
definitely determined at the meeting
of the association next week.
Now that the fair is over all kinds
of suggestions are heard as to how a
fair should be conducted. Everybody
agrees that the association makes a
mistake in holding the fair at such an
early date. To offset this claim the
fair officers say that as long as the
fair is member of the Eastern Indi-
ana circuit that they have to take
whatever date is decided upon by the
circuit. Not many persons are in
sympathy with this argument, because
they think that Hagerstown would fare
better if she should cut loose from the
circuit and conduct the meetings as
they were when organized. No better
county fairs were ever held than were
the first three fairs held in Hagers-
town, and they were held the latter
part of August and entirely independ-
ent of other fairs. Again, every one
agrees that not enough attention is
paid to the various departments of
the fair. other than racing It is a /
noticeable fact that days and weeks are /
spent previous TO the opening of a fair /
in the perfecting of the race track, and /
al features that are incidental to the /
proper conduct of a good race meet I
ng and the securing of good race
horses for the races. while on the 9TH
er hand little inducement is offered 20 |
he farmer, the manufacturer. the
commercial man. the artisan or the
breeder of fine stock to show the pro-
iucts of his toll and energy. Then
light in this connection comes the
question, does the fair as now conduct
ID, really benefit anyone? The only
people who are really benefited by
hese annual meetings as now held are
he saloon men. 1t is true other lines
uch as butchers, groceries. bakeries
md restaurants. enjoy a little increase
If business for two or three days If
he interests of the mass of the people
ire not catered to. the people who
make the fair possible by reason of
heir paid admissions. just in that de-
5ree will prosperity be stranger to
he fair association that allows itself
o drift into this rut.