The Ocala evening star., 1915-08-06
WORKING FOR THE STATE FAIR


be present on the evening of July %
at a meeting held at the Mason hote
OF the State Fair Association.
County commissioners, secretarie.
and others interested in the genera
welfare Of the different counties were
present, but as usual. in answer TO q
call where many should respond only
a small per cent were present. How.
ever, what was lacking in numbers
was made up in enthusiasm.
{ The special object of this meeting
was TO confer with the representative:
OF the different counties and ascertain
their views in regard 70 the most
suitable date on which TO begin the
state fair.
After some discussion it was agreed
that some date between Dec. Ist and
! 18th would best serve all the counties.
This time will be most desirable for
Marion county and exhibits could be
sent direct from our fair TO the state
fair.
was much impressed with the in
terest and enthusiasm of the repre-
sentatives from some of the counties
where they do not even have a fair
association. There will certainly be
some strong competition between
counties, and if Marion is TO be the
banner county (as we must be- we
will have 70 do some hard work be-
tween now and fair time. Suwanee
and St. Johns counties have already
declared their intention to win, and
promise Marion county a hard race
for the first place.
1t is the object of the state fair
manager to have a two weeks fair
and then to continue the county ex-
hibits in the main building the re-
mainder of December and during the
months of January, February and
March they expect to have some
amusement features that will help at
tract the tourists and hope in this way
to interest them i'm the general condi-
tiOns of the entire state, when able to
show them right at the very gateway
of the state just what can be grown
in each county.
AS it is now, the tourist enters the
state, spends a little while in Jack
sonville and then hurries on to the
place planned for the winter sojourn;
there they spend the winter and re-
turn home in the spring, without see
ing anything of the state but Jack
sonville and the towns in which they
have wintered.
We all know that the railroads pass
through some of the most desolate
lands of the state and the tourist
who has only seen the greater part
OF what he has seen from the rail-
way train goes home with the idea
that all there is to Florida is sand,
oranges, niggers and playground.
They do not know we can raise as
good corn, oats, hogs and cattle as
can be raised in Illinois, Iowa or Ne
braska. Neither do they know that
Florida can raise her own grain for
also alfalfa, asparagus,
and many other things always con-
sidered northern crops.
The object of the state fair is to
show the people of Florida how near
they could come TO living comfortably
if cut off from all the world and OBJ
liged to live on resources found with |
in the boundaries of their own state.
Also to show the tourist at the very
gateway of the state just what each
county is best adapted for, that they
may choose a route that will take |
them into that part of the state that
would interest them most.
This will give each county chance
to route tourists interested in the
special features represented by that
county, through their county as each
county is expected to have a repre-
sentative in connection with its dis
play to talk for their interests and |
explain conditions. Marion county
with it's many advantages should
profit largely by such a plan as it
will mean more to US than to coun-
ties generally frequented by tourists.
In fact, such a plan would seem espe-
cially, advantageous to all the inland
counties.
So it behooves US TO work doubly
lard. We are working not only for a
good coDnty fair, but TO make our
county the best represented at the
state fair.
What better ad. would Marion
county want than that?
|
Beard of Trade let us all work to-
yether for such a victory. T.