The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1929-05-31

sential that you obtain this type of
community cooperation.
3. The Merchants Part.
Fair time is show time for the mer-
chant as well as for the farmer. The
merchant should not get the idea that
the County Fair can be made a trade
extension proposition. Nothing will
kill County Fair quicker than this
idea. The merchant must take the
attitude that the County Fair is a time
for him to exhibit his wares as we'll as
a time for the farmer to exhibit the /
products he produced on his farm. The |
County Fairs of Montana that are
making Outstanding successes are
those where the merchants close up at /
noon each day of the Fair and put on
exhibits of their farm implements,
their clothing, their groceries and au-
/ tomobiles, etc. Farmers visiting a
| County Fair, and / presume that all
of you have noticed this to be true
when you have attended Fairs, are
just as interested in the commercial
displays as they are in the agricultur-
) al products on exhibit. Then too, Fair
time is a place where folks in all
walks of life can meet and visit and,
of course, this cannot be done over
the counter.
a. Educational Idea Paramount.
A Fair program must be arranged
to emphasize continually, the educa-
tional side as against the entertain
ment. By this statement, | do not
with to minimize the importance Of a
good entertainment program. 1t is
absolutely necessary to have a good
entertainment program if you are 60
ing to draw crowds. However, the
objective of County Fair is not tt
entertain but to disseminate worth
while practical ideas.
5. Management
AS with any other business enter
prise, and the running of a Fair
neighboring on big business, Their
must be capable management. Jus
anyone cannot run County Fair.
is a specialized business. 1t is ShoN
business. The running of a successful
Fair requires an individual that is
capable Show man, an educator. H
must know how to entertain people
He must know how to get exhibit
that will be Worthwhile and he mus
be enough of a publicity director t
know how to draw crowds.
6. Measurements of Successf1
County Fair
Fair men measure successful Fail
by two measuring sticks. First, /
the number Of exhibitors, both farm
ers and merchants. Second, by IL
Giro oF o,.o1x,J- fl,-O11o1o 4bo. -
tendance. One is just as importal
as the other. You may have the fiji
est exhibits to be seen anywhere al
if no one comes to see them, the Fa
is a failure. On the other hand, v,
may have big crowds and if you ha-
not anything to show them in the lii
of exhibits or entertainment program
the Fair is just as much of failu
In conclusion, l would like to s.
that the above points have been tax
into consideration and have been q
veloped in building up the Richla
County Fair. 1t has been the dew
oping of the above ideas that h
made the Richland County Fair t
biggest County Fair in the State
Montana and one of the largest Cou
ty Fairs in the entire northwest.
AS proof of the fact that the abe
ideas, when properly developed, "
build UP a big and successful Cour
Fair, | would like to cite the grow
of the Richland County Fair duri
the past four years. The number
exhibitors at the Richland Cour
Fair in 1924 was 202 and in Is
there were LOIS, an increase of mt
than five fold. The actual paid
tendance during this time increa.
from $3.50, in 1924, to $21, 62S
1928. The cash receipts during t
period increased from $758.OO to 81
728.74 in 1923.
have cited these figures to emp
size-first, starting out with the G
rect idea of a Fair, and, second,
develop that idea in the building
of an educational institution that ,