Missouri County and District Fair Association. 329 



Forth-eight fair associations are incorporated for a total of 

 $341,000. Some of the largest are, Howard County Fair, Fay- 

 ette, $10,000; Pike County Fair, Bowling Green, $10,000; 

 Knox City Agricultural and Mechanical Society, $14,000; Tri- 

 County Fair, Sikeston, $20,000; Jasper County Fair, Carthage, 

 $30,000; Livingston County Fair, Chillicothe, $12,000; Moberly 

 Fair Association, $10,000; Cape Girardeau Fair, $15,000; Dunk- 

 lin County Fair, Kennett, $12,000; Sullivan Tri-County Fair, 

 Linn County, $10,000; Green County Fair, Springfield, $20,000; 

 Vernon County Agricultural and Mechanical Society, $10,000. 

 Twenty-eight fairs are not incorporated or else fail to make 

 reports covering this point. 



The "acTual amount of cash premiums paid, exclusive of 

 premiums or purses for speed events," was $72,612.30 for the 

 sixty-eight associations reporting for the year 1913. Among 

 the fairs at which such premiums paid amounted to $2,000 or 

 m.ore were Columbia, $2,924.20; Bowling Green, $2,352.05; 

 Knox City, $2,030.82; New Bloomfield, $3,460; Higginsville, 

 $4,505.75; Mexico, $2,026; Monticello, $3,064.56. Big saddle 

 horse stakes of $1,000 to $1,500 were responsible for the liberal 

 showing of premiums as paid by most of the associations in this 

 larger list. ^ 



More than half a million people attended sixty-eight Mis- 

 souri county fairs held during the year 1913. The attendance 

 figures 532,856. Some of the fairs having large attendance were: 

 Columbia, 20,583; Bowling Green, 18,000; Knox City, 22,000; 

 Sikeston, 16,200; Carthage, 25,000; Trenton, 9,014; Bunceton, 

 10,500; New Bloomfield, 10,000; Moberly, 17,950; Indepen- 

 dence, 10,000; Cape Girardeau, 17,500; Kennett, 14,400; Brook- 

 field, 12,736; Memphis, 10,000; Troy, 10,000; Mexico, 15,000; 

 Springfield, 10,000; Pattonsburg, 10,919. 



Most fair associations charge 35 cents admission for adults. 

 A number charge 50 cents, while a few still hold to the old 25- 

 cent rate. A charge of 15 cents is in most instances made for 

 children under 10 or 12 years of age, but the tendency is to raise 

 this to 25 cents. With the increased cost of labor, material and 

 practically everything else, fair managements are finding that 

 they must have more money with which to operate. Especially 

 is this true where, because of street fair competition or for some 

 other reason, the customary ten per cent entrance fee on all 

 exhibits has been discontinued. A large number of fairs are now 

 advertising "entrance free in all departments." While this 



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