28 IOWA DEiPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



United States. Reports from county and district fairs indicate that 

 they too enjoyed this prosperity. 



The action of the Thirty-sixth General Assembly in increasing 

 the amount of state aid the fairs should receive according to the 

 amount of premiums paid out was a great help to the county and 

 district fairs. They feel that the state is interested in this great 

 work. There were more county and district fairs held in Iowa this 

 year than ever before in the history of the state. Counties that had 

 abandoned their fairs have taken on new life and have brought them 

 liack bigger and better than ever before ; counties that never had 

 fairs are now organizing and will hold their first fairs the coming 

 year. 



Just here I wish to make a few suggestions to the managers of the 

 county fairs. Be careful with the arrangement of your program. 

 Do not get it top-heavy in any particular department. Have a well- 

 balanced fair and try and have something that will interest all kinds 

 of people, for it takes all kinds of people to make a successful fair. 

 One thing you should not lose sight of, and that is the educational 

 features of the fair. Interest the boys and girls, for upon them de- 

 pends the future success of the fairs. Try to impress upon the peo- 

 ple of the community that it is a duty they owe their fair to help in 

 every way possible to make it a success. Arrange your program so 

 that there will be nothing to interfere in tlie mornings to take the 

 people away from the educational features of the fair. I mean by 

 this that every exhibitor has a right to expect that the people who 

 come to the fair will have the mornings to go through all depart- 

 ments. This is due the exhibitor, for when he brings his exhibits to 

 the fair he wants the people to study them ; and if you have counter 

 attractions going on all day to draw the people away from the ex- 

 hibits they will feel that their work has been in vain. So arrange 

 your program that there will not be any amusement features in the 

 morning. 



I am thoroughly convinced that the night show in connection with 

 the fair is becoming very popular with the patrons, and a success 

 financially. In this age of quick transportation by the automobile, 

 ^vherever night shows have been tried the management has been well 

 pleased. The arrangement of the night program will depend largely 

 upon your community. In my .county we begin with a band concert 

 and several selections by a good lady singer, then two or three vaude- 

 ville performances, and Avind up with a display of fireworks. 



