PAVILION PLEASES PATRONS

Story by Ruth Soward

Horse races, baseball games and fairs always brought out the crowds.  Several years before the beginning of the Farm Bureau in 1922, the Sherman County Farmer's Institute, Secretary O.A. Edwards, generally organized a fair that would be of interest and information for the farmer.  In 1920 that Institute included a very popular Old Settlers Day picnic as part of the program.  (see Vol. 9, No. 2, Historical Bulletin)

In 1921 a big exhibit and barbecue planned by the Sherman County Farmers Institute was held October 5 at the stands of the baseball field located just east of the Sherman County courthouse.  The day proved cold and rainy, however, so the barbecue was moved into the courtroom of the courthouse along with the exhibits, talks and childrens races.   The Goodland band also played at dinner and during the afternoon

An estimated 4,000 people (with 1,000 autos on the fair grounds) attended The Farmers Free Festival in 1922 on October 9, 10 and 11th.  The Farmers Institute, The Sherman County Livestock Association and the Old Settler's Association financed the festival.   There were agricultural and school exhibits and premiums were awarded.  Mrs. Pauline Kuhrt had eight different varieties of apples and C.E. Biddison, W.A. Higdon and V.W. Goodrich showed some fine pears.  Along with the placing of entries and exhibits on the first day, a ball game was held in the afternoon.  On the second day the Old Settlers picnic and talks (instead of speeches) were held.  High pens had been built south of the judges stands for the livestock and along with judging on the third day there was bronco and steer riding as well as exciting motorcycle races.  A ferris wheel and merry go round had been brought in.  The livestock exhibits were said to eclipse any former sale; one bull brought $400.

Farm Bureau had been established in the summer of 1922 with Arvid Nelson as county agent.  His weekly newspaper column had done much to advertise the fair.

Although Nelson resigned as county agent in July of 1923 interest in the fair had grown so much that in September the county commissioners appropriated $1,100 for the fair, added more stable rooms and had the grandstand enlarged to a capacity of 800 people.  There were many premiums offered and boys and girls club contests.  The Free trip to Chicago given by the Rock Island Railroad for the winner of the champion pig contest went to Cecil Bandy of Kanorado.

Things were at a pitch of excitement when the exhibits were set up for the 1924 fair on Monday, September 22.  That afternoon a baseball game between Edson and County Line was played in front of the grandstand, with Edson the winner.  The Beaver Valley Band, plus a few members from the old Goodland Band, played in the afternoon.  There was also a carnival and games.  Going to Jerusalem was played on harseback; there were potato races, a trick pony exhibited by the daughter of John Fenno (the pony would kneel like an elephant for the rider to get on and off) and a Livestock Grand Parade.   The Christian Church and Methodist Ladies had food stands that were patronized by those "who cared more for cleanliness and quality than service" reported The Goodland News-Republic.  There were bingo rings, and shooting (blankets and aluminum pans proving to be more popular as prizes than kewpie dolls), a fat woman, a tall man, snakes and other sideshows, a free for all county horse race, a bucking contest and the festivities ended with a dance.  But the real heart of the fair were the livestock and agricultural displays, with special credit to the good exhibits of the boys and girls clubs.

The 1925 fair, with T.A. McCants as secretary, was held for four days, September 28 through October 1, and pronounced one of the best ever staged.  Besides the livestock judging, poultry judging, agricultural department awards and boys and girls exhibits, there were pole perch and  acrobatic acts, Ethiopian singing comedians, a comedy dog act, aerial acts, a rodeo, a baseball tournament, several band concerts and the usual carnival and sideshows.  Even with free admission it was believed the revenue from various sources would meet the expenses, which editor R.G. Wolfe said, is an exception to the general rule.

Entry day on Monday, September 5, 1926 found the band boys in natty uniforms that caused "no little comment" said Wolfe.  Although displays and exhibits were probably never more interesting, the crowd in 1926 was not as large.  Secretary McCants attributed this to several things: school had just started, the crops had not been as good and the rain the previous week had farmers out planting.  There was the usual baseball tournament, the rodeo and the races and the Schwalble-Wallick shows which drew good crowds.  The livestock and agricultural exhibits were especially good and the club demonstration work, in charge of county agent N.L. Rucker, was commented on very favorably.

Seven boys and girls were awarded all expense paid trips to the Kansas State Agricultural College for the following spring.  Victor Morton, who had the highest grade for the year for all the 4-H clubs in Sherman County, was one of those chosen.

By July, 1927, work was started for a new pavilion at the fairgrounds.  Fred Hunt, local contractor, was in charge.  The 100 x 200 foot building would have a grandstand 50 x 100 feet with a seating capacity of 2,000.  The outstanding feature of the new pavilion and grandstand was the Lamella steel roof, a type of construction so strong it had withstood a hurricane in Miami in 1926.  A Colorado Springs contractor was the licensee for the unique roof, a German invention.

On Monday, September 19, the new agricultural hall was full to the overflowing with first class exhibits, in some departments breaking all previous records.  Needlework and Art were added to the Agriculture, some Science and Flower Show Departments.  The 4-H clubs and Homemakers organizations were all represented; school exhibits which had heretofore been handicapped for lack of room, had a spendid display.  The automobile, tractors and implement shows vied with the hardware, grocery, furniture and radio displays for the largest number of admirers.

Attendance reached a climax on Wednesday following the downtown parade with a crowd estimated by the unbiased News Republic at between ten to fifteen thousand people.   The Nelson Brothers Shows were a drawing card, along with two airplanes taking passengers for rides over the grounds and city; the livestock display was considered the finest ever shown in this section of the state and the fair association had done much to make things safe and comfortable for the visitors with food and drink stands available as well as a telephone and rest room facilities.  But the main attraction was the racing which had drawn huge crowds.  One hundred race horses were reported to be in town; there were pacing races, harness races, relay races, Shetland pony races, Welsh pony races, dashes, trotting races, a potato race for men, a musical chair race for boys, a one mile derby and chariot races.

"There never was a bigger or better fair in this county than this one" boasted editor Wolfe.