Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1920-03-05

Robert H, Miller was president at the time
too. remember spending a whole day
with him at "Alloway." with no one at
home but himself, to get that srandstand
He thought was going to spend a week
guess, but he gave in toward night and
promised to recommend it to the board.
My father had charge of building it and it
cost about $500. As the receipts were
from SIPS to 5000, 1t became an asset in
very short while. A regulation third
mile track was next put in. This cost not
quite $500, and from that time there was
fight on hand to have half-mile track.
which eliminated in 1902.
By this time had some of the other
members of the board going to other fairs,
and they commenced to get busy. In 1894.
an addition was made to the main hail.
covered sheds for cattle, sheep and hogs
were built in 1895. and the four-day fair
was inaugurated. The poultry building was
put up in 1896. large addition to the
number of stables was made in 1897 In
fact. some further facilities were added
every year and most of them were earned
before being built.
In 1889. the total receipts were $500,
in round numbers. There seems to be no
record Of details for that year. but in 1890,
$4,000 was taken in. Of which $500
was at the gates. and $500 from privileges.
In 1899, $3.50. $4,000 from gates and
$1,000 from privileges. In 1902. the new
half-mile track was built. mourning an in
debtedness of about $4,000. Financial
reports are not available. save for 1904.
since then. In 1904, the total receipts
were $4,000. $4,000 from gates. $l.250
from privileges. In 1890. premiums paid
were $S.030. purses. $745. In 1904, pre-
miums were $2.750. purses. $2,6 $40. Since
1906 there has been continual struggle
to make ends meet, while in the four years
preceding about $4,000 of notes had been
paid off. in addition to large increase
in premiums. The gate money fell from
nearly $4,000 in 1904 and 1905 to less
than $4,000 in 1912. and it never reached
anywhere near the old figure till last year.
but the premium list has remained nearly
constant. The directors, aided by the presi-
dent of the past ten or twelve years, have
financed hard proposition and they have
done well to keep things upas well as they
have. Expenses have been cut In all pos
sible ways and good many impossible
ones. Personal credit. as well as that of
the corporation, has been used to help out,
and there remains no floating debt. With
proper cooperation the mortgage debt can
be paid.
All this may seem out of the way, but
there can be no intelligent suggestions as
TO how to better the county fair. and
rather think that is what is aimed at by
the question, unless the situation is well
understood and what the board Of directors
has to contend with.
In the first place. the directors serve free.
There has never even been an allowance
for hotel bills. when very often there is an
all-day meeting of the board or some COM
mittees. In the Savings Bank the direc-
tors served for the same pay. but it was
soon found that free interest and pay your
own way did not work, and. IL | am not
mistaken, every man they make now has
little per diem attached BY all means.
the fair directors should be paid. If only
mileage to Rockville. 1t is impossible for
a set of men to take much interest in
something they know little about, and II
they do not get together they cannot know.
The records of the society for the past few
years show that the whole fair has been
arranged for with about two meetings Of
the directors. The president. secretary
and one or two others doing all the work
as committees. without reference to each
other, and every director must have fin
DER in the pie to make good fair.
The total lack Of working capital has
been block in the way of a real, sure
enough. up-to-date fair that will fit anyone.
All construction on the grounds has been
of the cheapest. toughest description. cut
up there is no room for display. but every
thing is crowded and crammed together in
piles. There has been woman's display
at Rockville equal in size to any Of the fairs
of Maryland, but it does not make the show
other fairs do. because 1t is crowded into
ne-fourth of the space the others use.
The superintendent have no room for ar
rangement and no choice but to pile 1t up
as best they can.
There are at other fairs trade displays.
farm displays. community exhibits. and
many other things that are useful as well
as interesting. At some Of them there is a
revenue Of several hundred dollars annu-
ally. We have none Of them for want Of
room. No place to put anything new. 90
there is foundation Of truth for the cry.
The same old thing. nothing new to see"
saw once a competition for premium
put out exhibits on spaces about ten feet
square, There was crowd around II all
day long and those people had something
to tell about when they went home. We
have no room for such things. We did
have a small community show once in
tent. A tent has no side walls and an
exhibit cannot be brought out fully in one.
so this did not attract very much atten-
ton and the directors did not even know
where 1t was. most Of them.
There is more room for a good cattle
show than anything else at Rockville,
though not Of the latest design: The sheds
are all right for the season and can be
filled. In times past every stall has been
filled with cattle from this county and 1t
can be done again. Many a time to get
that result have spent whole day with
some farmer. and ended up by making all
entries, picking out the cattle and seeing