The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1919-12-11
MORROW COUNTY FAIR

the fair now held is not one to en-
thuse the inhabitants with any very
enthusiastic pride. We have a coun-
ty with at least three basic indus
tries. Grain, cattle. and sheep. The
present limitation of our grounds
practically force us to the holding
of garden product show. The first
requisite Of good and successful
fair is unquestionably good crowd.
In order to obtain such crowd some
thing worth while for them to see is
surely necessary.
We do not know of any other fair
which has any standing in its own
county or community that is not
handled by fair association, yet
Morrow County has never had fair
association properly so called. The
financing of the present fair now and
in the past has been purely in the
hands of the County court. A secre-
tary and Fair Board consisting OF
two members appointed by the Coun-
ty Court have been given the respon-
sibility of putting on a fair but the
county has stood financially inter-
ested in the success of the fair and
we believe that it is statement
that will go without argument that
it will require number Of people
who are financially interested in the
success of the Morrow County fair IL
develop the kind of interest that is
necessary to put this fair on basis
where it will command the respect
and support of the vast majority of
the people Of the county. We be-
lieve that the county is entitled to a
good fair; we believe that there are
enough products, enough people in
terested in good farming and in good
livestock, to support good fair and
we are certainly of the opinion that
good fair and good exhibits 60 long
ways toward prompting good agri-
cultural methods and the production
Of good livestock.
Under a fair association a number
OF stockholders in the fair would be
scattered throughout the county.
These men would be financially in
terested in the success or failure OF
the fair and would work for its
support and for its upbuilding. We
are not going to advocate the pur-
chase of stock in the Morrow County
Fair association purely as a business
proposition but we believe that it is
the patriotic duty of every good citi-
zen to take some stock in the fair.
The State now has number of fairs
which are certainly very creditable |
exhibits and so far as we know all
of these are upon an association |
basis. Wasco County and l. / n n |
County are both reorganizing their
fairs and we believe that the impor-
tance of the fair is Just as great now
as 1t has ever been in the past, but
in order to hold any successful fair
the requisite first, is public interest
and the only way to really create
a public interest in this fair in our
opinion is to create public financial
responsibility through the scattering
Of stock to a number of stock hold |
ers over the county.
Many people believe that the sue
cess of the fair is greatly enhanced
by the possibility of good races and
in view of the fact that our state
laws absolutely forbids gambling
of any kind around the race track
we do not see any good reason why
races should not be put on in Nor
row County. We people Of America
are naturally athletic people; there
is always a great deal of enthusiasm
in watching a good ball game, foot
ball game or any of these tests of
skill, and the popularity of good rae
ing is probably greater now than it
was ten years ago. If the county
fair is to be upon successful basis
| it will have to have more room and
better buildings and greater facilities
for handling livestock. At the pres |
ent time there is absolutely no room
| for buildings to house livestock and
no stock raiser who has gone to the
trouble and expense of fitting stock |
for the show ring, feels like putting |
! his cattle in corrall where they
are exposed to the weather without
any protection and where little or no
arrangements for their cae and main |
tainance DUNG the days of the fair
have been made, and to make these |
arrangements for their care and
maintenance for the days Of the fair |
grounds and better buildings. Wei
trust that the people OF the county
will give this their careful considera
tion and let the committee in charge
Of the fair know what you really
think.
This article is not written in the
spirit of criticism Of any past fair,
for we understand that there isl
a decided spirit favoring a fair and
that it has manifested itself in sew
eral fairs which, when the handi-
caps are considered, have been most
excellent but. we do feel that as
great county as this, is entitled to
an opportunity to put on much bet
ter fair.
l.. A. HUNT, County Agent.