Norwich bulletin., 1914-09-08

New London county people. and for that matter. folks from all over east crn Connecticut. found a common gathering place. and fine one, at the fair grounds on Monday. The first day of the Agricultural society's 60th an- nual fair shattered records. In point of attendance, for one thing, it eclipsed the best of them in the old days; Is, 900 people on the opening day! That was the attendance figure that energetic Secretary Charles Greenman thought conservative on Monday night. The tickets had not been counted, in their entirety, for the Labor union members, who tended to the sale of many of them Monday. had not handed in their report.
 .overfiowsd. on All Sides.
 But close to 2o.ooo people was not Lad guess. counting both day and night fairs. The latter had easily 5000 vis- itors. There never was seen before a crowd such as overfiowed the covered stands and the bleachers and spread up and down, the track on each side away around the turns. An old fair man said that doublc the number Of automobiles ever seen there before were inside the society's stretch of fence this year. There were half a thousand of them. without exaggeration. And then there was a whole squad of motorcycles, single and with side cars, and some
 
 and "a cycle, such as the little Economy car.s long and narrow, that sliced it's way merrily about.
 Horsss and Cattle Net All suppIanted.
 And if the whirr of motors took away siow-going and conservative, it did not crowd all the epicturesQueness and ha- yor of the old time county fair. Many 8 yoke of siow-goins oxen weer on hand. undisturbed. by whizzing power cars. Along the track, too, was hitched eating that the old Yankee love of a eood piece of rhofset1esh Is still alive end active. Thefs were the colts that tke young chap on the farm had hitch ed up that morning to bring his best girl to the fair and there. too. was vice, that was .auite gentle and kind enough flor any farmers wife, and you know how nervous they are with a horse, to drive to town" These the automobile has not yet supplanted, al though it might be, thought so. were it not for, the county fair s
 Showing the ceunty's Produce. And the real old county fair ex- hibits are in evidence again this year, and they are bigger and better than ever. It is satisfactory to learn by actual eyesight that eastern Connecti- cut hilisides are just as productive more so. in fact. as they ever were The grange exhibits and the vegetables and fruit and produce of all kinds show that in the halls. and outside the cattle sf.eds are crowded to capacity and of grand array. While there may be much froth to the modern fair, these are the things that tell.
 On the Lively Midway.
 Naturally, however, the midway gets first choice among the attentions of the visitor. It couldn't help 1t The new entrance on the northeast side of the grounds, from the recently extended trolley line. leads the pedestrian right into 1t. And entering by the old gate on the New London turnpike side, the autoists go right by. It's busier and thicker and noisier-noise is the sign o1 a thriving midway, it seems-than 1t el CT was. Lots of features, too. The athletic girls drew much attention on Monday. They wrestle. but did not leer especially husky: Especially when Bill Collins. the Tod Central Village mt man, stood up on the platform be- side them. But many people paid the price even if they came out with that quizzical expression that recalls what P. T. Barnum once said. The diving girls dove after their tank was filled with the necessary liquid, which is to say, water, and the cabaret show across the road from it, featuring Thelma, ran until midafternoon. Then a crowd of half hundred men figured that their dimes had been enticed. from them un- der false pretenses. They revolted and the show suspended. at least for the day. The men had waited in the stuffy tent for half an hour, and all the en- tertainment they had was looking at Theima in a reclining position. Now trat became tame, and they demanded action. But she refused to dance. A row was raised and a policeman took the proprietor to headquarters, but his name was not placed on the books. The show stopped. but a man who was in said he did not get his money back.
 Tryphena was at her old stand tell ing fortunes in a realistic and general ly encouraging way, and there were wheels and ring games in untold varie- ty. They all did land office busi- ness, for the biggest crowd the fair ever had was also extremely liberal. They were the same old games with now trimmings-you get dollar and a half to the good. and then a turn or two of the wheel and you're in the hole The thing to do Is to laugh and raes on. But all the games Monday were apparently straizht. However at those that were giving money prizes. but allowed the wheels with dolls, etc, to keep running. Tn one of the bootbs, rear a lively seller of whips. some pa I;ers got aflre during the afternoon and for a few moments there was excite r.lent Tn that vicinity. The booth waa overturned before the blaze was finally stamped out.
 Tn the erand~tand careless smokers dropped lighted butts in several t.,- stances and gave opportunities for fircs to start which might have been sert- GUS if not for the watchfulness of the caretakers.
 Water Wagon stesds Made a Dash.
 mother little incident not on the programme was the runaway of a couple of horses on the watering cart about o'clock. The young driver left ,h.rn unhitched at the trough near the Round Hill farm headquarters and the animals started on a run toward the east Kats. Automobiles left the path