140 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



been that we haven't been able to build the grandstand large enough to 

 hold the people who are willing to pay money to go in there. I believe 

 I have admitted the advantages of building the largest grandstand pos- 

 sible and then collecting the quarters for admission. 



As to the advantage of free acts, I believe the more we have invested 

 in free acts the closer we will have to figure to make them pay expenses. 

 In fact, our fair works free acts and for the past five years they have never 

 cost us more than $150 a year. The race admissions from the grand- 

 stand and the entrance fees of the horses have paid all of the expenses, 

 practically. Again, with a good line of free acts, it is practically the 

 making of a free show. I noticed in Mr. Corey's report that there are 

 thirty-three fairs in the state of Iowa that are holding night shows, and 

 at those thirty-three fairs there was an attendance of 66,600 people in the 

 evening. That, at twenty-five cents apiece, would be $16,650 at the least. 

 That $16,650 will go a great ways in covering the expense of night shows, 

 including the amount we have to pay for fireworks, and in my opinion 

 will justify any fair in the state in putting on a first-class entertainment 

 during the nights of the fair. From a business standpoint I would cer- 

 tainly favor a good line of free amusements. 



It is different buying free acts today than it was ten years ago when 

 we commenced. We have a great many reliable agencies to go to and get 

 what we contract for. I know the first time I ever went to buy free 

 shows that Mr. Cameron, Mr. Olson, Mr. Simpson and a lot of the state 

 fair men were in Chicago together and they said "Look out and see 

 that you get what you want to buy." I am glad to say that we don't 

 have to look out now at all. A half dozen men come to our North Iowa 

 Fair Circuit and any one of them, is reliable. We can buy of them ana 

 know we are getting just what we contract for. 



The Chairman: The next speaker is Mr. C. H. Barber of Mason City. 



Mr. C. H. Barber: Last spring at Hampton a group of secretaries 

 made the remark that they thought it would be a fine thing if we had 

 a meeting at which a greater number of secretaries were present, and 

 Mr. Lauer wrote to all of the secretaries in the state suggesting having a 

 spring meeting of the fair managers of the state. We had an idea that it 

 would be better to have the meeting in the spring than at the present time. 

 I have thought it over since then and think we should continue just as 

 we have it now. Every member should be present and take part in the 

 election of officers and I would make it one of the conditions of receiving 

 state aid that we attend this meeting. 



I think we should have a meeting in Des Moines in the spring, however, 

 to see the free acts and other entertainment features together. We could 

 spend a day or so at it and I believe that we could pay our associations 

 very large dividends by so coming. Ws get fifteen or sixteen up in north- 

 ern Iowa, sometimes at Mason City and sometimes at Waverly, and we 

 have good meetings and good results from them, but we do not have one- 

 half as much as we would have at a meeting of this kind, and the thing, 

 I think, Mr. Lauer had in mind was making this spring meeting just 

 supplementary to the fall meeting. Why can't we have a spring meeting 



