The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1907-10-02
STATE FAIR
Over 5000 People Present on Opening
Day.

White River Junction, Oct. 1.-Ver-
monts first annual state fair opened
here this morning with an unexpected.
ly large attendance, in view of the
threatening and cloudy weather fol.
lowing the heavy rains OF the last few
days. In spite of clouds 5000 people
attended the first day.
Gov. Proctor was present with Sen.
aor Redfeld Proctor, his father and
other distinguished Vermonters, in.
Guiding j. w. Stewart of Middlebury
and John G. Mccullough of Benning.
ton, former governors. Gov. Proctor
arrived at the grounds this morning In
an automobile and was escorted across
the grounds by detachment of cadets
from Norwich university who arrived
on special train at an early hour.
The formal opening of the fair Oc.
Cured this afternoon, when Governor
Proctor and members of the state fair
committee were in the grand stand but
the governor is averse to speech max
inc and made no address.
In the number and size OF exhibits
the fair exceeds the expectation OF It's
promoters.
1t is believed to have the largest ex-
hibit OF stock ever shown in New Eng
land. Nearly 500 head OF cattle had
arrived Monday night and tOdays ar.
rivals brought the number up close to
1000. This number was so much lar.
ger than anticipated that the shelter
provided was insufficient.
Supt. +. l.. Davis had force of men
working in the pouring rain all day
Sunday from In the morning and all
day Monday putting up additional
sheds and by Monday night the cattle
were comfortably housed.
Almost every known variety OF cat
tie is shown-Jersey, Guernsey, Aver
shire, Devon. Belted Dutch, Swiss and
even Scotch Galloways.
Nearly 300 horses are on the grounds
and fine exhibit of Morgans is sent
from the government breeding station
at Weybridge
The showing Of other kinds of live
stock is exceptionally good and the
quality OF the sheep especially Is high
ly commended.
Three fawns were sent here by II.
G, Thomas. the commissioner of game
and fisheries and in the aquarium are
shown a handsome lot of brook trout,
rainbow trout, steelheads, lake trout,
land-locked salmon, golden and Won
Behr trout, large and small mouthed
black bass and pike perch, commonly
called walleyed pike. Some OF the
fine specimens of trout died from some
unknown cause on Sunday.
The track was in poor condition this
morning The mile track was not In
condition for the automobile races and
they were abandoned The horsemen
this morning declared that the nalf
mile track was unsafe for racing and
declined to race. There were two ra.
ces this afternoon and the track proved
to be in excellent condition.
The horses competing for the state
fair cup were shown on the track be.
tween heats and the blue ribbon went
to the handsome mare owned by Max.
well Evarts.
Charles Taylor the Oldest driver In
the world, 1902 years old, VISA brought
out on the track and introduced to the
crowd but did not drive his exhibition
iuiit tOud..
Special interest was conferred In the
sheep driving contest. In the FIRST
trial flock of 80 sheep were driven
to the track from a pen in the rear of
the judges stand and then penned In
another enclosure at the southern end
of the grounds. Then four OF the ami.
mails were driven from that pen back
to the one they started from.
The first trial was made by Beadle,
a dog from the stock farm of the New
England Stock company at Leyden,
Mass, and the second by dog from
j. Pierp0nt Morgan's stock farm.
The lance tourney for a silver cup
offered by James w. Tyson OF Straf.
ford was not success. The rings
were hunS SO close to the fence that
the riders could not reach them at the
fast speed required by the rules and
while some of the riders succeeded In
knocking Off some of the rings none
succeeded in bringing one away on his
lance.
| Miss Susie Evarts, daughter OF Max
well Evarts, was one of the contestants
and her fearless riding excited great
applause,