130 IOWA DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE 



fair will not draw all the people, though it will draw some. I am sorry 

 to say that the American people are looking for amusement, and in- 

 cidentally they will look at the educational feature after they get there. 

 There are only a few who go for strictly educational reasons, so that to 

 cater to them alone would spell failure to your institution. 



The limit of amusements, as set out by Mr. Bennett, is measured only 

 by the community and the drawing powers you have within your juris- 

 diction. I think that the entertainment end of a fair should be figured 

 out in a scientific way, or in a common sense, business way, so that you 

 spend a certain amount of your receipts for amusements and attractions, 

 a certain percentage for your exhibits, and a certain percentage for your 

 overhead, and so on through. In that way, when you get it properly fig- 

 ured out, you will find a profit at the end of the year. 



"We can all have our personal views, but the proof of the pudding is in 

 the eating of it, and at the end of the week when you count up your 

 money in the sack is the thing that proves your success or failure. 



Mr. Gamble (Knoxville) : My experience as a fair manager has been 

 limited. It has been on probation, so to speak, for just this year. We 

 have come out victorious, paying all premiums and paying debts, and all 

 things of that kind. The question of amusements came up several times 

 :n our meetings of the board of directors. Of course, the farmers thought 

 we had better look to the agricultural society, and the town people looked 

 at the other side of the matter, so we compromised and split 50-50, spend- 

 ing about $2/000 for amusements and $2,000 for exhibits. If we had just 

 depended on the agricultural society feature, at the end of the week we 

 would have been in the hole some $3,000 or $4,000. If you can get what 

 the people want most, you can bet your life at the end of the fair you will 

 have 2. profit. 



Another thing; you can advertise all your exhibits, your fine stock and 

 hogs ^nd cattle, having an abundance of exhibits w-ith every stall in the 

 barns and sheds full, but you will notice that after your patrons see 

 them they go out to the grand stand and see the horses go by. 



The Friday or Saturday night at the close of the fair is what counts. 

 I am in favor of attractions and amusements, and if you give the pcuple 

 what they want you are going to succeed. 



The Chairman-: The next number on the program is entitled, 

 "Various Methods to Build up a County Fair," by Mr. F. A. 

 Gatch, leader. 



VARIOUS METHODS TO BUILD UP A COUNTY FAIR. 



Mr. F. A. Gatch, Greenfield: Mr. President and Fellow Fair Mem- 

 bers: The subject assigned to me, "Various Methods to Build up a Coun- 

 ty Fair," makes me think of an old-timer in Adair county who one day 

 told me of their first fair. He said that when they had their first fair 

 in Adair county, he drove up in front of the hitch-rack before the only 

 store in town, tied his horse, and not seeing anybody about asked the 

 merchant, "I thought this was fair day; Where's the folks?" And the 

 merchant said: "Well, we was going to have it today, but we postponed 



