LECTURES AND PAPERS. 



MANAGEMENT OF FAIRS. 



By J. M. Deering. Member from York. 



[Read at the State Fair evening meeting, September H, 1888.] 



The subject under discussion is one that really interests, or should 

 interest, every citizen in the State of Maine, because fairs are 

 intended for the purpose of raising the standard of our agricultural 

 interests to a higher t^'pe, and whatever promotes or benefits our 

 agricuhure will surely benefit ail other industries. So, directly or 

 indirectly, we should all be interested in the fair and its success. 

 By some cause, perhaps rivahy, fairs have become numerous — per- 

 haps too much so for all to be financially prosperous. They have 

 increased, within the last few years, to such au extent as to cause 

 sharp competition between the different societies, especial!}- where 

 two, three, or more, exist in the same county. There is no bad 

 feature, however, in regard to competition, if that is the only evil, 

 because it forces the officers into the position to devise plans and 

 methods in their management whereby they can gain some advan- 

 tage over others. But it should be borne in mind that a business a 

 little over done is not generally quite as healthy financially, as one 

 with a little less competition. Yet competition is the life of the 

 country, and we have the societies organized and the fairs are to be 

 held, and the question arises, how shall we manage them in order to 

 make them most successful, and meet the demands of the public? 

 In speaking of the management of fairs, I wish to 1).- understood 

 that I do not mean this fair or that, but fairs in general. 



An agricultural fair, in one sense, is a business venture, consisting 

 of a board of officers whose duties are to manage and to take chart^e of 

 all the business transactions and bear all of the responsibilities, whether 

 the fair is a success or a failure. Next are the exhibitors, who 

 possibly may be members of the society, and they, too, should feel 



