218 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



must patronize home industries. Tliat is true if your particular town 

 happens to have a band that could really entertain an audience. Another 

 thing, too many of our fair managers seem to think that they ought not to 

 spend over $150.00 or $200.00 for music during the three or four days. 

 This is a mistake. The Carroll fair last year procured one of the best 

 military bands in the state of Iowa, at a cost of $600.00 and every one 

 agrees that it was the best investment that the fair association ever 

 made. As long as the band is playing no one present seems to care whether 

 there are races or not. 



Of course there are other forms of free attractions which should not be 

 overlooked. One of the most usual of these is what is known as the wild 

 animal show such as the lions, tigers, leopards and other animals, and then 

 other people prefer tumbling acts or trapeze performances. Something 

 along this order should be taking place immediately in front of the grand- 

 stand to entertain the people between acts. These amusements are par- 

 ticularly entertaining to children, and it must not be forgotten that the 

 young folks are a great portion of the county fairs and one must cater to 

 them in order to build up a successful fair. 



We had an experience at Carroll last summer which I desire to present 

 upon this occasion. Our management engaged one of these free at- 

 tractions a considerable length of time before the opening of the fair, 

 having procured their signature to a written contract. Shortly before 

 our fair actually opened we were notified that they could not come. They 

 being non-residents of the state it appeared to us as if we had no effective 

 recourse and were simply left out in the cold. It seems to me that the 

 managers of the county fairs ought to demand some kind of a forfeiture 

 from these parties, insuring their living up to the contract. As it is, it 

 is practically a unilateral contract or one in which one party only is bound. 

 Our experience at Carroll came very near being a fatal one but luckily we 

 succeeded in getting an aviator to fill in, but were compelled to secure 

 him from a far off distance and at a great expense. We do not regret, 

 however, that we had procured him because he was very skillful and lived 

 up to his contract in every detail, pulling off some of the finest aerial 

 flights that anyone ever witnessed. I might suggest here, however, 

 that this form of entertainment is not as desirable now as it was a few 

 years ago for the reason that most of our people today have seen a num- 

 ber of aerial flights of this nature and are not particularly anxious to see 

 one again for the reason that they are very similar. 



I think you will agree with me that the one feature of every county 

 fair which attracts more people than any other is that generally known 

 as racing. Managers of county fairs usually have a very difficult time in 

 procuring good horses and plenty of them. We had a little difficulty at the 

 Carroll fair last year for the reason that there seemed to be a shortage of 

 these animals or, rather, there were several county fairs being held in our 

 part of the state during the same week. We succeeded, however, in ob- 

 taining our portion of good horses and feel free to say, without fear of suc- 

 cessful contradiction, that the races at Carroll this year were far above the 

 average that were pulled off at any county fair in the state of Iowa. Our 

 management made a special effort to treat the horsemen in a courteous 



