Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1913-08-08
K|BBE REFUSES, So
GRANGE WILL STAGE
A CH|LDRENS FAIR
Official Disapproval Will Not Halt
Preparations for County
Exhibit.
PLANS READY NEXT WEEK.
County Superintendent Declines
to Assist Agricultural-Indus-
trial Display.

/ Even though County Superintendent
L. A. Kibbe is reported to frown upon
the idea and will give it no assistance.
the children of Thurston county will
stage an industrial and agricultural
fair this fall in common with many
other counties in the state, official dis
approval notwithstanding.
Announcement of the plans will not
be made until next week. Suffice it to
say that the County Pomona Grange.
which two weeks ago appointed Fred
w. Lewis, secretary Of the State
Grange, its representative to work
with Kibbe in the preparations, il
back of the individual, unoficial move
ment and that it proposes to see fair
is held.
With the headquarters of the state
superintendent of instruction located
here-the department that originated
and is promoting these children's fairs
1T would seem that Olympia and
Thurston county were very favorably
situated to stage as good q fair as any
in the state, II not the best. This ap-
parently was the idea held by the Po-
mona Grange when it appointed q spe-
cial representative to work with the
county superintendent in arranging
the Thurston fair, and the fact that
that representative has been treated
with the cold, cold shoulder by this
onicial apparently will not deter the
Grange in its efforts.
A 'peeve" arising between Kibbe
and Mrs. Preston, the state superin-
tendent, on some subject entirely for
eign to the children's fairs, is said to
be accountable for Kibbe's attitude.
Whatever 1t is, apparently the Thur
ston county ofiicial fears Mrs. Preston
may get some glory" out of the fairs
and prefers, SO far as this county il
concerned, to boycott the children
rather than run the risk of adding q
feather or two to Mrs. Preston's hat.
Anyhow, he has the temerity to re-
fuse to promote the fairs in this coun-
ty and thereby has acted directly op-
posite to the desires of the County
Grange. 1t takes some temerity to do
stunt like that, to hold out against
the majority of your constituents and
against the wisdom of most of the SUI
perintendents Of the state, but 1t is
presumably temerity and not some
other mental attribute that inspired 1t.
As suggested by the state superin-
tendent, the children's fairs in each
county are designed to display what
they have accomplished In manual
training and domestic science work
and also in agricultural endeav0r.
From the best displays in each county
are to be selected those that will rep
resent the county in the all-state ex-
hibit at the Yakima fair, and 1t Is to
stimulate interest among the children
in these three lines of work, particu-
| larly agriculture, that the fairs are
planned.
| So far as the local situation Is con-
cerned, arrangements are now being
made for placing the supervision OF
the work among the children of this
county in the hands of several indi-
viduals resident in the different Sec
tions. members of the Pomona Grange,
upon whom will fall the burden the
county superintendent has shirked. A
complete announcement Of the plans is
expected next week.