TWENTY-FIRST ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART III 161 



an exact duplicate of the old suit, even to a patch in the seat of the 

 trousers. Exact duplication of fair buildings without intelligent adapta- 

 tion to existing conditions copies defects as well as perfections. 



The successful modern fair is carried out along the Lnes of a definite 

 plan, practically the same ingredients are used as in the old-time fair, but 

 the mixing is not the same. It is the arrangement, the accommodation of 

 the people, and the appearance of the modern fair that makes it different 

 from the fair of yesterday. It is this difference which places the stamp 

 of approval upon a successful fair. 



A prominent actor was once asked "What person in the audience do 

 you try hardest to please?" "Little Johnny in the front seat," was the 

 unusual reply. "If I can please the boy, I can easily please his parents." 



In planning future fairs, is it not little Johnny in the front seat whom 

 we are trying to please? Johnny is the unprejudiced critic of our en- 

 deavors. He has no political friends to please, he caters to no one, his 

 tastes are exceedingly varied and he either likes or dislikes our fair for 

 some definite reason, and, fortunately for us, this reason is usually the 

 basis and foundation of our success or failure in the fair world. 



It is our problem to anticipate Johnny's visit to our fair afld to pro- 

 vide his pleasure from entrance to exit and supervise his menu from 

 soup to nuts, and our greatest reward is to receive from his unbiased 

 opinion the statement, "I've had an awful good time at the fair." 



Trafllc arrangements are one of Johnny's first troubles — his pa takes a 

 long while to get through the crowd with his car. There are too many 

 people waiting to cross in front of the car, who get in the way; it takes 

 a long while to park the car, and then it is parked in the corner of the 

 grounds where Johnny has to go and get the forgotten bundle that mother 

 left under the back seat. Unconsciously, perhaps, Johnny asks himself, 

 "Where shall I go?" and here our previous efforts in anticipating his 

 visits and his needs answer this question for him before it Is asked. 



The arrangement of the buildings, the location of the concessions, the 

 proximity of the midway, and the distribution of the open-air exhibits 

 must be in accord with an unconscious plan which Johnny has stored up 

 in his mind as his idea of what a good fair should be. He knows when it 

 is r.ght, but he does not know how to produce the results. It is this ar- 

 rangement, this plan which must be anticipated months and years before 

 the lad's visit so that when the time comes he can enjoy it and be satis- 

 fied. 



Livestock, grain, machinery, poultry, boys' and girls' club work, con- 

 cessions, grandstand, midway, sanitaries, and exhibits of all sizes and de- 

 scriptions are passing under Johnny's criticism. His tastes must be an- 

 ticipated, his likes and dislikes must be taken into consideration, and, be- 

 sides, we must provide him with the best in educational advantages and 

 entertainment in order that upon his return to the farm he shall enjoy 

 his work and be encouraged to come back to our fair year after year. 



Throughout our fair, consistent and intelligent planning must be done 

 in order to anticipate the present and future needs. Little Johnny of 



