Thursday, November 7, 2019

Richmond County Fair A Wonderful Success, Nov. 7, 1919

From the front page of the Rockingham Post-Dispatch, Friday afternoon, Nov. 7, 1919. Blooded animals means the animals were full-blooded, of a particular breed.

Sixth Richmond County Fair Continues Through Saturday

The Sixth Richmond County Fair opened Wednesday morning and is now in full blast; Saturday is the wind up.

Considering the fact that no sensational attraction was secured, such as airplanes, big speakers, brass bands, etc., the attendance has been exceptionally good. The people came for the Fair’s sake and not out of a desire to be amused by a Midway. There is a Midway, the Robbins United Shows, but it is only fair; chance and game concessions predominate.

And so the attendance is not for these attractions, but for the exhibits that the people have turned out. On Wednesday the paid admissions amounted to about 400; on Thursday about 1,200; and Friday will e even larger. The President, J.F. Diggs, should feel pleased at the results of his work.

But speaking of the Midway, President Diggs last summer signed a contract with the Dorris concern, which is one of the best carnival or Midway aggregations making the rounds. He counted on this large company until two weeks ago he found they were going to break their contract, inasmuch as they were this fall playing Tennessee. And so he perforce signed up the first carnival he could get—the Robbins shows.

The parade Wednesday morning consisted of a number of mounted marshals, a handsome Red Cross car from Hamlet, another prettily decorated Red Cross car form Rockingham, a bevy of Canning Club girls on a truck, and a number of other cars.

Exhibits

The exhibits in Floral Hall are exceptionally fine and numerous excepting in the farm products department. County demonstrator J.G. Lawton was at the head of this farm products department, but two weeks ago he was called away, presumably by sickness, and nothing has been heard of or from him by his co-workers of the Fair.

Mrs. John Sandy Covington has a beautiful exhibit of Home Demonstration work. Her Canning Clubs have responded loyally. Nothing could be desired in this department; nor can it be excelled by any Fair in the South—and that means the world; pretty large territory we’re taking in, but it’s true.

The curio exhibits under Mrs. W.C. Leak are very interesting; and the floral exhibits under Mrs. W.N. Everett and Mrs. Cloud are as good as the best. The Artcrafts under Mrs. Frank Leak and Mrs. J.R. Bennett, and the Ladies’ Handiwork under Miss Lottie Rogers are good. The Home Economics under Mrs. George Terry, Mrs. J.J. Bennett and Miss Sallie Boddie simply can’t be touched; they have no equal.

Also, on the first floor of the building were a score or more of exhibits of farm products. Several auto dealers had their new model cars on exhibition and several merchants had booths.

Another excellent feature was the display of cloth upstairs by the various mills surrounding the city. J.W. Jenkins and Wm. Harry Entwistle had these beautiful bolts of cloth attractively arranged. T. Berry Liles was in charge of the poultry exhibit, and never in the history of Fairs in this section has there been a prettier or better poultry display. There were hens of a score of different breeds, turkeys, geese, ducks, pheasants, etc. Beginning with several pens of Belgian Hares, the exhibit ended with a pen of blooded Persian kittens.

In the livestock department the exhibits were as good as could be desired. The building for swine had expensive and blooded stock from Diggs Farm, W.E. Crosland’s, H.C. Wall, and John E. Everett’s.
The cattle building contained splendid exhibits of Jersey cattle from the Diggs Farm and Aberdeen-Angus from the farm of W.E. Crosland. W.L. Carter had a stallion entered, and W.B. Covington a colt. E.P. Pearce entered a mule colt.

In the open space between the Floral Building and the cattle building were parked the tents and guns of a company of artillery men from Camp Bragg, seeking recruits. This exhibition of 155 m.m. guns and periscopes was a center of interest.

Representatives from the Agriculture Department reached the city Thursday night and on Friday will judge the hundreds of exhibits. The Post-Dispatch hopes to be able to give the names of the various prize winners in the next issue; if not, then just as soon as the Fair management can tabulate same.
The men who have worked for this Fair deserve the thanks of their countrymen. Their labors have been at a sacrifice of their time and money. The people of Richmond county should determine right now to cooperate to the end that the Fair next year may be bigger and better. The exhibits should be numbered by the hundreds instead of by the scores. And this will not be possible unless ALL our people evince an interest. What concerns one, concerns all.

And now that this Sixth Fair is about to become history, let’s all turn our eyes towards the Seventh Fair and make it a truly representative one. One man or a dozen men cannot make a Fair a success—it depends upon the people as a whole.

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Mrs. Leath the Winner

Mrs. M.B. Leath was the lucky winner of the Sellars Kitchen Cabinet given away by the Nathan LeGrand Furniture Co. at the Fair Grounds this week.

This store had a booth in the Main building, and over 500 ladies registered at the booth and wrote their names on cards. These were placed in a box and at noon, Friday, a blind-folded boy drew a card out, the luck winner being Mrs. Leath.


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