The Press., 1909-09-01
The Connecticut Fair

Preparations for the great OonneCti- cut fair. which will open it's second season at Charter Oak Park on Labor day, to run for week following, are now practically complete and need only the salute of opening to set them off For a whole year-ever since the close of the last fair-the man. ager, Walter J. Snyder, with his corps of department heads, has been busy planning, arranging and executing the details which were to make the second fair a far larger exposition than it's predecessor, and now, in the last few days before the opening, the arrange ments find themselves practically com plete, awaiting only the final word
 And now that everything is in readiness, now that the managers have chance, like an artist. to stand bao k and get rough of the outlines of their work, the magnitude of the fair is realized, perhaps for the first time It's size and scope were. of 
 promoters last fall and winter, but the filling between the lines, the body of the structure, depended wholly on the public and its backing displayed through the other means in which such popular undertaking as 8 country fair is built. The result as seen now, with the closing of the entries, is such as to astound even an uninterested visitor to the present headquarters of the fair, although a true realization of the bigness, the hugeness of this great modern amuse. ment enterprise will not be possible until the gates are opened on Labor day.
 "The largest in New Englaud" is phrase which can be applied with perfect honesty to almost every de- partment of the fair, and as New Eng land is the home of agricultural shows, the phrase is no empty one. The enthusiastic support of fanoiers, stock raisers, horse trainers and farm
 
 fair manager, has, however. earned this title for the second season of the Connections fair.
 Figures sometimes suggest more than descriptions. The cattle show at the Connecticut fair will have over 600 head of cattle in the four dairy breeds: Jersey, Guernsey, Ayershire and Holstein. From the north, east, south and west ale coming the finest stock to make up this total, which will be, by all odds, the largest herd of it's kind ever seen in New England, and which will be housed in Q tent larger than that used by Barnum and Bailey's circus The poultry show will also be the largest ever seen in New England, in connection with fair, over 5000 birds of every variety, which will be shown in their native state as far as possible, the land fowl being seen in grounds built like a country estate, while the water fowl will be shown in a pretty little arti- ficial lake.
 The cat show will be larger than the annual cat show in New York. The display of vegetables, including entries from almost every state along the Atlantic seaboard, will again be the largest ever seen in New England, being shown in a tent almost as large as that which will hold the cattle exhibit. Apples from Maine. market produce from Long Island, fruit from Maryland, Delaware and the orchards of New York will be seen in this gigantic exposition of fruit and vege- tables.
 In the industrial show for women over 5000 articles have been entered, showing how keen is the interest among the women of the state. In the bee and honey exhibit will be not only entries from the finest apiaries in the east, but the demonstrations of the making of honey and it's prepa- ration for the market.
 Of the exhibit of sheep and swine, it can only be said the now oft repeat ed phrase-the largest in New Eng land, over 1000 head being repre- sented by this department.
 In addition to all those shows will be the more exciting features-the horse racing, the exhibit of blooded animals in the horse show and all the popular amusements, such as auto. mobile acts and the wild west show. The grand circuit trotting and pac ing races of the Connections fair will be much better this year than last year, which is saying a great deal, as it may be remem bered that Hamburg Belle broke a worlds record for three straight heats. In the classic Charter Oak stake on Labor day this will be seen, for the first time, 8 race be- tween The Harvester, driven by Ed. Geers, and Bob Douglas, driven by Roger MoDonald, both undefeated trotters. Coming together for the first time. the interest in the two is of the keenest, it being even whispered that, with good conditions, Ham burg Belle's record of ? O14 may be broken by one or the other horse.
 Still more exciting to some minds are the running or thoroughbred races, with their rush of hoofs and the flashing c0lors of their whining