Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1912-09-17
Its SEVENTEEN Fair was a Good One,
IOxFORD COUNTY AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY
MAINTAINED ITS REPUTATION.
Inc Aeroplane Flew, the Crowd was There, and
Everything Went MerriIv.

A great fair was that of the Oxfor
County Agricultural Society held o.
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday O
last week. To say that it was the hes
ever would not perhaps be justified, bu
it was certainly up to the high mark SO
by this wellknown fair.
For weather the fair had a good aver
age. Tuesday and Thursday were a
good as could be asked. Wednesda,
morning the skies looked dubious, ant
many were kept away by the conditions
Moreover, early in the forenoon it begaI
to rain, and throughout the forenoon i
drizzled or came down in quite livel,
fashion much of the time. Nevertheless
people came in unexpected numbers
The afternoon was fair, aud there were
doubtless twelve thousand or more PEG
pie on the grounds. The gate receipts
were less than on the second day las
year, but those of Thursday more thar
made up the difference, and the total al
missions exceeded those of last years
fair.
very orderly crowd it was, too
Three arrests were made for intoxicstion,
and occasionally one might be seen who
showed to slight degree the effect of
JOY juice, but these cases were rare, and
in general the crowd was quiet aud well
behaved.
The officers who had charge of the
fair were the same as last year, aud most
of them have been in their present posi-
tions for many years. President William
j. Wheeler of South Paris had general
charge of the grounds, and was a busy
man. Secretary and Treasurer William
D. Rockingham of South Paris was kept
so well occupied at his Office that be had
little time to ''see the fair" Trustees II .
+. Andrews and T. p. Richardson of
Norway were superintendent of the
horse department, while in the cattle
were Trustees Z. w. Penley
of West Paris, l.. +. Mclntire of East
Waterford, and " 4. Dunn of Norway.
Trustee Leon A. Brooks of South Paris
was in charge of the hall. A. S. Fuller
was marshal in the horse department,
and Charles Sewall Penley in the cattle
department.. There are two reasons why
the men in charge here make 80 good
fair. One is, the familiarity with affairs
that they have gained by their years of
and the other the interest
and endeavor that they put into their
work. A large part of the gate tenders
aud other employees have also been in their
present positions for some years.
GOOD EXHIBITIONS OF FLYING.
Perhaps the time will come when fly
ing machine skimming through the air
will attract no more attention than a
specially novel automobile does now, but
hat time has certainly not yet arrived.
II is safe to say that of the thousands in
at this fair, few were not
eager 10 see the machine fly, and when
there were indications that flight was
TO begin, every eye was turned in the di-
rection of the flyer.
George A. Gray of Boston made five
flights during he fair, one Tuesday after
noon, two Wednesday afternoon and two
Thursday afternoon, as announced, and
thew were fully successful. His machine,
a Wright biplsne, was on exhibition in
an enclosure inside the track throughout
the fair, aud was viewed by hundreds.
Mr.. Gray rose easily each time and
chine each time to within few feet of
it's enclosure when it stopped. In the
air he circled over the grounds and the
two villages in larger or smaller curves,
for period of about fifteen minutes at
each flight. No fancy stunts were at
Indeed, Mr.. Gray intimated
that the next time he flew, be should get
farther away from the hills. He de-
scribes the air conditions as very bad for
flying here, on account of the hills. IL
any air is moving at all, the hills make
the breeze gusty and uneven, as could
readily be seen by watching the swaying
Of the machine while in the air.
These were the first flights ever made
in Oxford County, and every afternoon
visitor TO the fair on any of the days had
an opportunity to see them. Thursday
the wind was lively and fuky,
aud il was announced that there would
be no flights if the wind kept up, but by
3 o'clock il was quiet enough so that a
fiight was made, and another an hour or
two later.
Mr. Gray went from here with his ma
chine to Montreal.
LlN hlDWa1.
The Central Maine fair at Watervillle
coming the same week as this drew some
attractions, including some midway"
and there were not quite so
many of these here as in some years, but
still there were good number of them.
That thing of enticing motion, the
pecan wave, was not here, but the Fellows
merry go-round and Ferris wheel held
their usual positions, and were well pat
ronized.
There were few tent shows, too. U
J-Ji, the African village, had certainly
4 genuine look from the outside. Flint's
Jungle Show was on hand, and the Bak-
Or family of colored people, and the six
calves born at one birth in the town OF
Weld drew many.
OF the games which were just for fun,
there were three of the diving girls. In
his girl sits ia swinging chair above