PROCEEDINGS IOWA STATE FAIR MANAGERS ASSN. 51 



I suggest that Church Fairs, Bazaars, Block Dances, Home-coming 

 Expositions, etc., be included so as to make it a general clean up, for 

 there is much rottenness in closed cities allowed by the Powers that Be. 



It is always possible to tell by the newness of the merchandise behind 

 a store if the "joint" is legitimate or otherwise. If the stock is shop- 

 worn it's a cinch it's a strong line-up store. If it is clean and bright and 

 there is plenty of it on display it is certain (almost) that the store is 

 legitimate and the operator is giving the public a run for its money. 



Sure you know the difference between a percentage and so-called flat 

 joint. As information when a few packages of cigarets, a few dolls or 

 a very limited amount of other merchandise is on display, but the games 

 are run always completely "buy-back" they are camouflaged percentage 

 in principle. 



Recently a farm journal claiming to be of the highest class and en- 

 joying a wide circulation published certain articles written by a self 

 confessed ex-faker which had its effect on some readers of this journal 

 leading them to believe that a large percentage of fairs consist chiefly 

 of an array of fakers presided over by arch fakers. In fact, a picture 

 presented in one of these articles showed an exhibit building empty 

 while space devoted to fakes and fakers was completely occupied. Of 

 course, much of the so-called information presented in these articles 

 does not apply to 90 per cent of fairs today. 



The effect of these articles on many fair men, however, has been to 

 lead us to wonder whether some of the people who do not attend fairs 

 credit fairs with being a conglomeration of fakes or really worthwhile 

 educational institutions. 



The millions of people who each year attend fairs know what fairs 

 really are but how about those who have never attended a fair and who 

 may be patrons at a fair next year? The reaction of this series of 

 articles on me has been that the Iowa Fair Managers' Association of 

 which all the fairs of Iowa are members and all organizations of fairs 

 perhaps should maintain a bureau to watch over misleading, unjust 

 criticism of fairs or statement concerning fairs which, by inference are 

 harmful, at the same time accepting in the right spirit just criticism. 

 There are people not familiar with fair work who do not fully compre- 

 hend either what fairs are trying to accomplish or what their clientage is. 



Fairs have been the pioneers in demanding clean shows and conces- 

 sions. During recent years some municipalities have been offended in 

 street fairs but they, too, are cleaning up, until the day of the faker is 

 becoming a thing of the past. 



Now, I started out to say that it is about time that we fair fellows 

 took decided steps against misleading statements concerning our fairs. 

 Fairs have been "kicked about" long enough. 



The up-to-date fair returns more for the money invested to get into 

 and in admission fees charged after the outer gates are passed than any 

 other gathering appealing to public patronage. People are as safe on 

 ninety per cent of the fair grounds in America as they are at their own 

 homes, physically and morally. Where in so short a time could one 

 learn so much of a particular community, county, district or state as 



