The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1908-08-07
SALE OF FAIR PRIVILEGES
CONCESSIONS BOUGHT AT THE
GROUNDS SATURDAY.
Auction Held BY Superintendent Ly-
man D. Baird, Prices Paid for
Dining Hall Sites.

st. Paul. Aug 3,--One of the great
est demonstration of peripatetic COM
petition ever seen on the state fair
grounds came to an end at seven
o'clock Saturday night, after some
500 aspirants for financial honors at
the fair to b held Aug. 81 to Sept
5 had pursued tickle fortune and one
another all over 247 acres since ten
in the morning.
Officially the affair was known as
"the seventh annual auction sale of
privileges and concessions at the Min
nesota state fair" Unohicially it was
a long drawn-ou endurance test link
ed with few heart burnings suffered
by such as did not secure the lots or
booths whereon or wherein they de-
sired to cater to the public's lighter
wants during the forty ninth state and
semi -centennial fair of the state of
Minnesota.
The event is of such annual i'm
portance to the semi professional deal
ers in yiands, soft drinks, souvenirs
and various forms of sustenance as to
assemble a goodly crowd when Lyma
d. Baird of Austin, superintendent of
privileges of the state fair, made a
brief introductory speech, in which he
said: ~
s.The rule against having intoxicat-
ing liquor on the grounds will be more
rigidly enforced this year than ever.
You will not be allowed to sell beer,
liquor or vinous beverages and neither
will there be permitted the selling of
near beer, or anything that looks like
and is supposed to taste like beer. Any
brew with collar on will be tabooed.
What am I bid for this lot ?"
Within half an hour Mr. Baird, ably
assisted by Secretary c. N. Cosgrove
and A. c. Page assistant superintend-
ent of privileges, had sold the first
lot for Sis, the SECOND for $l65, the
third for $3.50, and had led a mixed
procession of men, women and youth
full lemonade dealers from the admin
istration building to the poultry.
Within an hour four churches were
building, the most northerly of them
all, bidding briskly against one an
other and when each had secured a
choice restaurant location the Foss
Methodist Episcopal church of Mime
apolis had one for 1865, the st. An
thony park Methodist Episcopal church
one for 5000, the Holman Methodist
Episcopal church of st. Paul one for
$3.50 and the Central Christian church
of st. Paul one for SIS. Honors for
the highest price paid during the morn
ings went to Jacob Koontz of 1000
James avenue north, Minneapolis, who
paid 1920 for the temporary site for
a dining hall and when adjournment
was taken for lunch the total sales
were $500.
This was Just about fourth of the
total sales of the day, however, the
ninety sales made to organizations and
individuals for outdoor location aver
dSeu plfU anu UHc toIdi lOi ShC uoy,
including the moneys paid for booths
in the exposition buildings, was $l4,-
$50. This is $3.50 more than the
sales Melted last year and the average
price per lot is much higher than that
paid last year, or in 1906, when the
total for the auction sale days was
$4,000.
The highest price paid during the
day was for the west side of the old
poultry building, which went to the
Hamline Methodist Episcopal church
of st. Paul for $780, The lowest
price was paid by a sign painted, who
ventured $25.
Last year the total receipts for priv
ileges, exclusive of those from "The
Mighty Pike" was $4,000. This year
with a month of private sales to come,
bids fair to greatly exceed that total.