The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-09-23
THE ALABAMA STATE FAIR BELONGS TO IF PEOPLE" SAYS PRESIDENT ROBERT A. BROW
Fly DOLLY nAI.RYMpLE

NN one point at least all of Birming Iv ham agrees. and that is that MT. Robert A. Brown is an ideal pres
 ident for anything. and particularly for
 the Alabama State Fair association, for
 he probably possesses to more
 marked degree than any other one indi-
 vidual in this community the ability, the enthusiasm, the conservativeness and the progressiveness required to make sue
 cessful president. the head of any large organization. Then, too. Mir Brown pos
 sesses another important attribute and
 that is an entirely unselfish desire in the
 promotion of anything he is "backing'-
 a quality which isn't often dominant in
 the makeup of many of us.
 As far as the Alabama State Fair is concerned, Mir. Brown is an optimist for
 he believes that this years fair is going to surpass anything that has ever been
 seer in Birmingham in this line be-
 fore
 "The fair means a great deal to the
 state from many angles, but especially from an educational standpoint, does it take on an additional meaning" said MT. Brown yesterday from the fact that the campaign for the 'diversifcation of crops, which has been agitated through out the state--in fact, throughout the l south-the past year is the result largely of work done by the fair last year, the encoura cement of things that have in
 creased values of farm and dairy prod
 ucts which have helped the class of peo- pie who needed not help, but an example, <l easy it is to convert idle moments into valuable talents.'
 "The Alabama State Fair is the peo- ples fair; it belongs to them and not to us,' MT. Brown continued. We do not operate it for profit or gain. None of the officers or directors receive a penny's pay besides that, it is the only fair of any importance that receives no aid what soever from the state. the county or the city. It is the result of the liberality of the bondholders. the self-sacrifice of the officers and directors and the cooperation of the business men and the newspapers. Every man, woman and child in the state
 of Alabama is a stockhoIder in the fair. or else they receive a goodly dividend
 in profits derived from the exhibits and
 the attractions. It is the ambition of the fair association to continue operations of the fair until the time when they can
 convert the fairgrounds into d playground
 for the convenience or this community. It
 is the only location now available for
 such a purpose, being within easy access
 of the city of Birmingham and the out
 lying districts, and it seems almost im-
 peratlve that this property be converted
 into a public park, where the children
 that cannot enjoy East Lake and the
 other parks in the old city limits can
 enjoy this privilege when the property
 is improved and arranged properly for
 such purpose. It would be my idea
 to build a half mile track, giving more
 space to the buildings which l think
 should be of concrete: besides, the ar
 rangement would supply plenty of space
 including many amusements, such as
 baseball park, tennis courts and play
 grounds proper for the children-the chill
 dren of the workingman who, when his days work and labor is over, can, in a few minutes, reach garden spot. where fresh air and beautiful surroundings and varied attractions can be enjoyed" Another thing that I'd suggest would be a municipal swimming pool said Mir. Brown, where every child could and should be taught to swim. These, of course, are merely few of the ideas that stand out as prominent features in con nection with the property at the fair grounds. and with these ideas in view,
 make the statement that the Alabama