Cresco plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1913-1945, 1917-07-13
CRESCO HOWARD COUNTY, IOWA, FRIDAY, JULY 13, 1917
County Fair" a Huge Success.

County Fair" Huge Success.
Cresco talent, the ladies of the Civic
Improvement Association and Mrs.
! Staley, the directress of the produc-
ton, scored big success in their pre-
sentation of the musical comedy "The
Howard County Fair" at the opera
house on Tuesday and Wednesday ev-
enings. The first night nearly 200
tickets were unsold but the production
made such hit that the second even
ing every seat and even standing room
was sold.
The County Fair" is built for laugh
ing purposes only, the Fair" serving
as ''filler" for several musical num-
berE, all beautifully costumed and stag
ed, and in this instance given with a
dash and vim that one could hardly be-
lieve that only four rehearsals were
had-but then Mrs. Staley had some
excellent talent in Cresco people who
ard famous for their ability to put on
musical productions of any kind.
The opening number, "Ballyhoo
Comfy Fair Overture, by five piece
orchestra under direction of Mrs:
Pearl Mitchell, put the audience in fine
trim for the musical numbers that fol-
lowed and gave excellent accompani-
ment. 1t was sometimes hard to real
ize that it was not a professional or
chestra.
The drill by Is little girls and boys,
including the chorus Come Back to
Playland, ending with game of leap
frog by the boys. furnished much
amusement, and as is usual with child
rem on the stage, several things not on
the program happened that brought
out hearty applause, and when at the
close of the number. the little girls in
white dresses and red ssshes we're seat
led in the boxes, it heightened the deco
rative effect made by the flowers that
had been placed about the boxes and
across the stage.
Among so many good things as the
musical program afforded. it is impos'
sible to speak individually of the vari-
Gus participants, but in each and every
number, the principals acquitted
themselves finely and we believe that
never before has local talent chorus
sang better, danced better or looked
prettier that is, the girls. In fact we
can recall several high priced road
4 shows that would have reen greatly
improved had they possessed the
County Fair" chorus.
For the County Fair share of the
entertainment.w have but one crit
cism-it was too much like three
ring circus-too many good things
going on at one time. All the good ole
time county fair institutions were
there-the ballyhoo band which wa:
much in evidence, floral hail. vant
agricultural hall" displays, side shows
concession men; we even heard some
something about 1.-The old army game.
Queer that some one didn't send tele
gram to Attorney General Havene
concerning that feature of the fair
The take off" on rural and eccentri
characters were we'll handled by tn
participants and the youthful antics o
some of the city's sedate citizens, ar
propriately and ridiculously costume
brought out rounds of hearty applause
The ladies of the Association wi
realize q nice sum-not 80 very little
either-to further their work of beaut
flying Beadle Park and those who hav
witnessed the transformation of tn
beautiful little south side park from a
unsightly place filled with grass an
rubbish, will not begrudge them on
cent of the money for which they hav
worked so hard, for most of the VIC
: men in the club devoted much time t
the production in various ways.
The participants may all take AUS
pride in the results, both artisticall!
and financially, and Mrs. Staley Ger
tainly earned for herself the title, ''th'
whirlwind directress. Her work wa
certainly remarkable and the partici
pants feel that it was a privilege t.
work under her direction.