The Delta independent., 1919-09-19
WHAT THE INDEPENDENT
REPORTER SAW AT THE. FAIR

Well sir, I've been to the Delta
County fair at Hotchkiss and believe
me 1t was some fair. If any one had
told me that the people up there could
have pulled off such a success as that
Ida told them that they were crazy,
and now if they even hint that it can't
be done again I'll soak 'em in the
beezer.
There was so mucn TO see that it
kept me busy even. trying to see half,
but of course l couldn't, SO l don't
want you to understand that this is
all they had.
We started out early on Delta and
Soldier day, which was the big day,
travelling in a perfectly lovely gaso-
line buzz wagon. We passed quite a
few people on the road, some of them
stirring up a good dust and some as
silent as a cake of ice at a Christ
mas tree. They didn't any of 'em pass
us, though. cause we were somewhat
in a hurry to reach the peanuts and
pink lemonade, and about two mile
this side o. Hotchkiss, the scene of
oPCi aSioho, oui Sai LII SolACllln6, u
ada swore it was cow and / made
a rapid ascension for about three foot
it felt like a mile to mel and made
the return trip without stopping to
say "Howdy." After / got back
took an inventory and found a bump
on my bean. black eye and a wreck
ed lunch. But the other ladies told
me we were near town and they could
hear the calliope (or whatever that
thing is that furnishes the dirges for
the Merry-go-round) and to cheer up.
/ cheered, and when / got to town /
forgot all about that bump and waded
right in.
oh. the people there were there, all
having such a good time. You never
seen SO many folks gather together
in your life. not even at a revival
meetin', and the way they bolted hot
dog sandwiches, fried onions. and cof-
fee with canned milk was a caution
They didn't have a drop of cream be-
cause the cows were on the other side
of the river and the airplane man
hadn' milked them yet
Down at the fair grounds We had
several other family reunions with the
old friends that we don't see out
to church every Sunday. and we near
ly cleaned them out on ice cream cones
and lemonade. And we went through
the exhibition hall where there was a
feast Of good things-but not to eat.
because they was prize stuff. My,
did wish that some-a them Eastern
folks that thinks that We live in log
huts could-a seen that display. I've
made my home home here more n
thirteen year and yet till go to one
OF those fairs I forget that there is
so many beautiful things in Delta
County.
They was stacks and stacks o. cakes
and bread. butter. canned vegetables,
canned fruits. and jellies.
They was hull tableful o. the
prettiest fancy work you ever saw.
and couldn't help wondering how
they found time to do that along with
the Red Cross knittin' and sewin'
Then they We're another hall where
vegetables and grains. poultry, and
rabbits was on display. and l wished
that the Kansas, Missouri, Iowa and
Illinois farmers coulda cast their
glims on them, for they never was a
finer collection of stuff. The Bone
Mesa farmers club had display that
woulda made any collection at an Eas-
tern county fair look like a doughnut
all ct but the hole
Ray Stanford had some fine Siber.
ian hares that attracted much atten.
tion-because they all know classy
stuff when they see It.
Out on the side lines they had the
prize stock-just simply beyond my
powers to express-sheep, hogs, cat.
tie and horses-the finest ever raised.
Vic Phillips. OF Cedaredge. had his
prize boar there that was as big as
Chicago. He says 1t weighs thous-
and pounds and is eighteen months
old. He looked to weigh all Of that
but didn't try to lift him.
Charles Mundry. of Oak Grove Stock
Farms. Austin. had bunch of prize
winning Percherons and they had n
lota ribbons to prove 1t.
A. A. Clements. of Paonia had fine
bunch of Holsteins. and so did the
Garmesa Farms OF Fruita, all with
butter records that sounded like a
fairy tale. I don't remember names
of other entrymen, because when
went to see the register found the
part I wanted was iust vanishing
down the throat Of one of those prize
critters.
On the race track they had lota
races that couldn't see because the
grandstand was filled. but know by