The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1917-09-26
Ut of These Exhibits Are
Competing for Premiums
1 at State Fair; Rivalry Is
Keen in Farm Products.
BACKWARD FARMERS
BROUGHT FREE FAIR
Expense of "Dressin' Up
Mary and the Kids and
Paying Entry and Admis-
sion Fees Suggested Idea.

sion Fees Suggested Idea.
NeALESTER, Okla. Sept. Il
fSpeeial.)-Beeause the farmers in Ger
A;r isola.ed sections of Pittsburg ooun-
n didn't take kindly to the idea OF
sdressin' up Mary and the kids" gath
sr;ns a STEW nubbins and bit OF gar
An sass and driving all the way to
" ~ county seat in the hope that they
. misht carry off a small cash ptize and
= kIue ribbon or two in competition with
& (seir neighbors, the merchants OF Mchl'
T ester made up money with which to in
1uce those farmers to show their pro-
lucts In township fairs, the best M
Shese exhibits were later taken to the
Aouuty fair, where spirited rivalry
heveloped between townships then the
Nea became so popular that the state
legislature enacted law creating an
I elaborate system OF county and town
4 ehip fairs TO he paid for hy taxing
(Ae whole people Of a county, and now
more than two thirds of the counties OF
~ state are taking advantage OF that
Backward Farmers Started Idea
The novel idea Of the "irce county
lair" and its AUXILIARY, the Tree town
0hip fair" in fact originated by reason
q the 'backwardnesS' OF PitShurg
county farmers.
~You see, we Jest can, afford to come
. the county fair" one farmer told
1ohn M. White. then farm demonstra-
S1on agent for Pttsburg county I'm the
first place, ! don, think could get any
oSise. Nv stuff does well enough to
Ut on the market and feed 10 the pigs
~ there's lots OF EN- raise better We'd
have TO dress up the kids il we brought
I'm to the fair: then by the time we'd
~ Z meal or two at the restaurant and
paid admission fees at the gate tor the
outfit, it'd he too much money
The same sentiment prevailed among
ufhess out over the county White
0bssght over the matter for q time, then
6ppealed to the MeAles,er commercial
-. The result was that cash pre-
Oiums were donated for distribution at
6ovNship fairs and the fund was made
olg enough TO pey premiums at coun-
- fair and bear all expenses Of the
nrves< celebration without charging
Atsy fees for farm exhibits and with
~ admission fees at the gates to the
Shir grounds.
Merchants Pay Two Years.
4 The merchants of McAlester paid for
CAst sort OF fair system two years.
Men Paul Nesbit,, Pittsburg county
representative. presented free coun
n fair" bill to the state legislature, the
MI was adopted authorizing boards OF
county commissioners to levy as much
= one fourth OF a mill to bear the ex
<snses OF township and county fairs,
md, in consideration for the fact that
~ whole county was thereafter to
eeaf the expenses OF the fair, the CITY
\ q McAlester voted bonds In the sum
Of $4,000 with which to supply a per
Manent site for the county fair Forty
acres OF segregated surface lands was
purchased from the Choc,aw nation, for
NOW, and the rest of the money was
I spent on buildings
The site OF the county fair ground,
Z Il ideal-enough open area for race
track an athletic field, the res, pro.
vided with natural shade. In all. there
ore fourteen buildings. ichiei among
which are the womens building, mcr
chants exposition building. agricultural
building, grandstand and barns for the
exhibition OF hores and cows and sheer
~ hogs.
Other Counties Follow Plan.
So perfectly adapted to the purpose
~ the Pittsburg county plan bee-,
t0und that ten other county seats ir
Oklahoma have borrowed the blue
prints and erected similar buildings. or
grounds purchased for the county BY
( bond issues voted in the towns. The
popularity OF the free county fair idea
b shown in the fact that nearly fit,
counties this fall held county fairs
which were paid for by taxation. Ar
Sven dozen OF these counties are To-
oated in the southeastern demonstra
Slon district over which John N. White
Y Ne originator Of the idea, now has su
oervision as district agent.
10 the tree county fair idea, to
9ether with the corning of the farm
+, Demonstration work, is ascrbed IN,
saet that Pittsburg county, within a pc
ssod OF three short years, lcaped iron
agricultural obscurity to the position
81 being considered one of the six he.
farming counties in the state.
Hadn't Thought Of Farms.
Fodf years ago, Pittsburg count,
VNs never thought of as an agricultural
county. II had the reputation OF pro
q oucing more than one third OF all m
7 ooel mined in the state, bu, people gen
N l5aIly regarded it as a mineral count,
- Iend unfit for cultivation. But. /
series Of agricultural exhibits tha
on--its first attempt in that line-,h
oDsnty won eleventh position at N
sf xote fair. fourth rang in the new sta,
N letr n Muskogee and was one of N
n ~ counties OF the state to receive a
81 y1sabIe mention at the internatoni
H ~ farming congress at Tulsa. A yea
" Doees, Pittsburg won sixth place al N
"a fAte fair and first Al Muskogee.
II lvly, took second rank among exhibit
"a u ~ state faif and first again AZ N
II mODkooee exposition. and las, year s,i
3 S0Sed high in state competition.
Y o. cotton alone, Pithburg coun,