New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1918-08-09
COMMUNITY FAIR
FOSTERS RIVALRY
Farmers and Families Cooper
ate With Neighbors in Ex-
hibiting Best Products.
PEOPLE BROUGHT TOGETHER
First Step Is to Interest Leaders, Then
Elect Officers and Appoint Com.
mittees - Ribbons Usually
Awarded as Premiums.

John Jones' basket of potatoes take!
the blue ribbon at the fair, and imme
diately every farmer In the cOmmun
ity secretly plans to take that prizt
away from Jones next year. AnG
Jones, seeing Jim Browns winning
corn, resolves that next time he will
add that premium to his other tro
plies.
And sc on down the line of all ex
hibits, the community fair fosters the
spirit Of friendly rivalry. 1t calls not
only for the exhibition of the best
products that have been grown and
the best work that has been done. but
it includes as well games, athletic
contests. pageants and other features
which bring the men and women and
the boys and girls together for whole
some recreation.
The first step toward holding a com
munity fair Is to interest the leaders
of the community; the second is to
call a meeting of the whole cOmmun-
ity to elect officers and appoint COM
mlttees to have charge of the work.
The fair should be well advertised,
and effort should be. made to secure
exhibits from rs many persons as pos
sible, rather than to secure exhibits
of exceptional quality. For premiums
ribbons are usually awarded rather
than cash payments. As most of the
preparations for the fair are made by
volunteer workers, the small amount
Of money required for incidental ex-
penses al be raised by subscription
or by the sale of advertising space In
the catalogue or on the program.
There should be no entry fees or ad-
mission charge.
Grouping the Exhibits.
While 1t is to be expected that the
exhibits at a community fair will re-
ceive special attention for the purpose
Of exhibition, nevertheless they should
represent rs nearly as possible the
production of the community,
for n of the purposes of holding u
community fair is to stimulate a de.
sire to increase the quantity and to
improve the quality of the average
product. Freak exhibits of all kinds
are to be avoided.
Personal solicitation has been found
to be the most effective means of in.
people to make exhibits. Each
exhibitor should realize that he Is in
only with other members
the community and that it will not
be possible for some stranger to take
all the prizes.
Satisfactory results are usually OBJ
tained in community fairs by group.
ng certain classes of exhibits. Thus,
n the live stock department, horses,
swine, poultry. and pets are
exhibited. In the farm products de-
)artment are shown different varieties
If grains and seeds. grasses and for
age crops, field beans and peas, pea
nuts and potatoes, together with dairy
products and bee products. The Or
hard and garden department includes
'uch exhibits as fruits and vegetables,
shrubbery, and flowers.
The woman's work and fine arts de- |
'artment includes prepared foods,
AIMED goods, jellies, preserves. and
and all kinds of ~neediewOrk. |
ogether with such exhibits as paint
ngs, metal work, raffia and reed bas-
let work, pottery. painted china, and
handmade jewelry.
The school and club department in