NINETEENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART III 139 



I feel highly honored by being requested to present a paper at this 

 meeting and also feel honored to represent a fair association that is a 

 member of this great association of Iowa fairs. I think that Iowa has the 

 greatest State Fair in the West and that no state in the union has as many 

 good county fairs as there are in this state and that all these county fairs 

 are progressive. 



At the time the Clay County Fair was held this year I was not secretary 

 of the Association and will have to tell you of the experiences of those 

 who were in charge at the time the fair was held. I was present during the 

 fair, having charge of the free attractions and the race program, acting 

 as the official starting judge, and had ample opportunity of witnessing 

 how the fair was conducted. 



I will confess that at the time I saw the plans and specifications of the 

 new fair grounds at Spencer, I was skeptical like most outsiders and did 

 not believe that the people of Spencer and Clay County would be able to 

 build such a fair grounds as the plans called for. However, when I 

 arrived at Spencer on the Sunday preceding the fair, I made a trip 

 to the fair grounds and was agreeably surpi-ised to see such a high-class 

 plant. 



The Spencer Commercial Club made it possible for the people ol 

 Spencer and Clay County to have the Clay County Fair, not only by giving 

 their official approval to the project, but also by getting out as individuals 

 and selling and boosting the sale of stock. The result was attained prin- 

 cipally through co-operation. Co-operation is united effort and exchange 

 of ideas working in unison, and is really the parent of organization, and 

 organization is the key to success. When you come to think of it an 

 organization can not exist without the most hearty co-operation. 



In the fall of 1916 it was decided to organize a fair association. Here- 

 tofore it had been the custom to hold every fall a one-day county picnic and 

 barbecue, but the people were outgrowing this idea and readily accepted 

 this other suggestion. The Clay County Fair Association was organized 

 in the Fall of 1916 and was incorporated for $19,000. About this time, at 

 the invitation of the Fair Directors, Francis Asbury Robinson, landscape 

 architect of Des Moines, made a trip to Spencer for the purpose of con- 

 ferring with the directors in regard to drawing up plans for the grounds. 

 I might state here that these grounds consist of forty-five acres located 

 just at the edge of Spencer and within one mile of the center of the 

 business district, and were presented to the Fair Association by the 

 Supervisors of Clay County. 



Mr. Robinson made a trip to the grounds in company with some of 

 the fair directors and viewed the land. He stated that it was an ideal place 

 to build a fair grounds and he made a rough sketch of the grounds. At 

 the fair board meeting Mr. Robinson offered to make a topographical 

 survey and prospectus showing how the fair grounds would look when 

 completed, and asking $500 for these services. Mr. J. H. McCord (who 

 by the way is one of the live wires of Spencer) was the only director in 

 favor of engaging Mr. Robinson to do this work. Some of the directors 

 asked where this $500 was coming from and others asked if he were going 

 to spend all the money of the Fair Association for a picture. At this time 

 there was $19,000 worth of stock sold and to pay for the picture and plans 



