The two leading features of the Fair held at Elk Park during
past week were the procession of the public school children of Avery County and
the agricultural and horticultural exhibits from the counties of Watauga and
Avery.
Mr. Frank A. Edmonson, Superintendent of Public Schools, has
requested the teachers of the public schools to attend the Fair on Friday, the
third day, and have on the grounds as many of the school children as possible.
By 1:30 o’clock on Friday morning the little army of 1,080 strong had assembled
at the High School building, and being headed by the Bluff City Brass Band,
each school being accompanied by their respective teachers, each school bearing
the banner with the name of the school, the number of children of each district
and the number enrolled; they entered into the procession and took up the line
of march. The boys in this procession would remind one of the march of the
Allies against the German forces, while the girls might remind us of the
marching of the Suffragettes to demand recognition from the government.
The farmers of Watauga placed on exhibition a fine display
of corn, apples, pears, peaches, quinces, and other fruits, as well as fine
horses and cattle, all in fine shape and condition. Mrs. W.E. Shipley, Messrs.
D.F. Mast, J.M. Shull and others from Watauga making the finest showing.
The leading farmers of Avery made a fine display of their
products from the fields, gardens and orchards, but my friend Mr. J.L. Hartley
of Linville far exceeded the others in the number of varieties produced in his
garden and on his mountain farm; all kinds of farm products adapted to this
section, a great variety of choice fruits, including full-grown, well-developed
ripe strawberries and almost all kinds of garden vegetables particular to this
mountain section. Mr. Hartley, of course, was awarded the prize for the
greatest variety and much of it was of excellent quality. Mr. Hartley says he has
a hog that he intents making weigh 1,000 net at killing time; and when he
slaughters this immense hog we will have 12 men present to see him weighed so
they may verify his statement.
If all the farmers throughout this mountain section would do
half of what Mr. Hartley is doing, we would never hear hard times mentioned and
there could be no necessity for it; we would all have the greatest abundance
and plenty to spare.
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