The Billboard 1911-06-24: Vol 23 Iss 25 (1911-06-24)

JUNE 24, 1911. The Billboard The Selection of Attractions By FRANK WE-_DON. (Secretary Georgia State Fair.) Taken as a whole, the falre are clean and bealthy, and the attendance in many cases be yond the bellef of those not familiar with them towns with a population of 12,000 to 20,000 having an attendance of 40,000 in one day, the big day of the fair, which usually falls on Wed needay or Thursday. Difficulties exist which can be easily remedied by co-operation. Thousands of fairs fall in the first three weeks of Septem ber, and more, considerably more, fall in the firet week of September every year than in any other week. This is all wrong, as the difficulty of obtaining proper attractions, horses, pay shows, etc., becomes more acute yearly. Four fifthe of all the fairs occur between the last week in August and the first week in Octo ber, inclusive More fairs should be dated early and late-——the first three weeks in August and the second and third weeks in October The fairs in September ehould be evenly distrib uted—an even number each week from the last week in August to the first week in October is would be vastly better for all concerned At present the difficulty is so great that the first week in September has long been called “The Fatal Week’’ by showmen—no one be able to supply the demand that week time county fair, a joke to many to an honored institution, which all recognize and patronize The prizes and ribbons, in addition to being a much-prized honor, commercially valuable. The exhibits of etock, farm produce, fruits, home work, etc., are eagerly scanned by the visiting thousands The educational value is beyond compute, and the state recognizes it as its leading interest and institution. More e old has given way are financial aid should State in many Cases, as sparsely settled to make the little fairs selfsustaining, no matter how hard they may strive. The cry of ‘‘Back to the farm!"’ is being counter be given by the many counties are too acted slowly by the far-reaching influence of the new county fair, as it bas a tend to hold the young folks at home, to continue the noblest, the oldest and the mast independent profession in the world All bonor to the q . patient, courageous, bard-working and rily guard the vi of smaller fairs, useful citizens the farms will farms and chaos reign farmer has come into his own, and feproach, it has ' become part prar ¢ > agric fair To be withor to a pumpkin pie without t pum pk cluded in this list is the se race Th a Worthy spert if kept w limite liness, without the sel! ols or « ting. Permit me to add know « 4 more den 1 ral r open gar e is none of s in the Next t them is they ' have been placed r m f Managers In each instar . pes s direct result of the abuse tbe of the side show as shows have no place upon should not be assed with ¢ or the exhibition of son freak Nor do I believe imate field for the fak« which the son of Father by giving up the experience It is goers expect to be will get a plenty of Pretend to be doing Concessions designed a source of little, but they the fellows who fall’ for it, and the blame reve I ly to the fair management which vermits suck concessions. All-in-all, it resulte in poor adver tising for the fair For the youngsters the merry go-r th miniature train, the Ferris wheel, ete., « are ever in demand and " a ruehing business because children are just about the same today as ever in this regard. Special features have taken prominent tion in the state fair manager's program Special feature at the Nebraska State Fair for the last three years a famous bund has filled the bill admirably Goold music pleases, and if you think the grand opera or the classics are too ““high-toned’’ for the agricultural fair, forget KING CITY FAIRS, it Nothing has elicited more favorable comthan at the agricultural fair, because the man ment from all the attendants at the state falr agers of these events are becoming more rigid than the dally music of some famous band. +} n c hs ¢ “es The exhibition effort of a r nono racehorse — age ee apt anerogs — — “~~ answered the purpose well in ite day, but the | *!0MS be clean in character. Ao a result, fairpeople are not content with calling that a special |89*TS are placing greater confidence in such feature. Now come the dirigible balloon and | *Musements and are patronizing them more liber the fiying machine. sure-enough special feature and the The flying machine agricultural is ally The aeroplane should be a big feature at the than ever bef fair which procures this feature this year or fairs the present year. So much bas been writnext year will be well repaid for a liberal exten the past six or eight months that the pubpenditure in this project. lie are bungry to see them in actual fights. It seems to me that the concessionaire who Whether or not they can be secured at a cost directs bis efforts along the line of furnishing that will justify the fair managers in conwholesome amusement appealing to all classes tracting for them remains to be seen. Again, can find no better place to exploit bis energies on many of the fair grounds it will be hard PROMINENT FAIR SECRETARIES. #7, FEAIDETLs * FHRore S24AN NOR H. Seidel Throm, Secretary Reading Fair, Association, Winston,-Salem,. N. C.: C. W Wis.: J. E. Hannon, Manager Michigan State Fair, Shelby County Fair Association. Shelbyville, Ind., Managers’ Association, Marion, Ohio. MT. VERNON, ILL. ae Entrance to the Fair Grounds, Reading. Pa.; G. Harvey, Secretary Dodge County Fair, Detroit, and J. A. Knapp, NORTH CAROLINA STATE FAIR GROUND, RALEIGH. CHW HARVEY E. Webb, Secretary Piegmont Fair Mich. ; Beaver Dam, W. McDaniel, Secretary “Secretary Ohio Fair and to get a sufficient amount of space for a startIng field. The class of amusements a fair should have is a problem which the managers must work out for themselves. What would be a huge 6uccess in one state would not be so successful if carried out in another. Fair managers must be alive to their work. Nothing is so detrimental to a fair as the practice of continual change of its officers, especially a secretary or general manage?. If in doubt as to the advisability of special paid and free attractions in conjunction with your state or local fair, follow the crowd, and if you do as they do you will end up by baving a show or several of them on your hands. The best argument to consider in deciding for or against special attractions is the fact that pracically everybody has them. In the past few years the special attraction has became as much a feature of the more important faire as the race program, which from long-established custom has become the side partner of all agricultural fairs of every description and eize. Most fair managers will agree on the reasen for this condition of affairs. The public wants some of the sweet of frivolity and sensation with its solid ration of instruction. Proper special attractions, both free and paid, when properly advertised, mean additional business and better chances of a balance on the right side when the show closes. The financial success of an exhibition depends almost entirely on the completeness «and efficiency of its advertising campaign. A good feature means an easier campaign and a cheaper one, for it will work for itself and carry the more substantial but perhaps less attractive features with it. The extent to which any fair management is warranted to engage in show features and the show business depends entirely on local conditions. It can be overdone. One of the largest faire in the West has created great dissatis faction among its exhibitors in all departments for the reason that visitors are offered seneation after sensation from morning till night, with the result that there is little time left in which to inspect the more substantial features of the exhibition. The exhibitor of «tock, machinery, or any variety of merchandise, who is under expense to make a showing, is entitled to a chance at the attention of the crowd. State and county appropriations are made to assist in the promo tion of better things for the farmer and the industry. and a though the fair few methods to farm fair he objects of an agricultural ‘us should be entirely different, may be jvetified in adepting a attract patronage. A One well-known and widely-experienced state secretary said in an interview with The board: t is the custom of the writer to provide a program of platform act features before he grandstand for the afternoon and evening the afternoon the acts fill in heats of the race program. In the evening the entire program is run off with such additional special features as may be available. “In addition to these are the paid attractions or ‘The where the publfe may spend time and ad libitum to its hearts content Vis with but a limited amount of time may get a pretty good ‘eyefuli’ of free 'and paid attractions and still have ample time to inepect the stock and displays In the various buildings. The result of this system has been satisfactory all the way around. “Occasionally some protest is raised by show company managements because the association holds an evening show before the grand stand, the contention of the show men being that they should have free swing at the evening attendance. While there may be some justice in the comp!) t of the show man, this fact should be considered—that many persons do not care to make the rounds of the Pike shows but do enjoy a short evening show from the grand stand. A management that wishes to be fair with its show people will not run its evening show too long, in which case any patrons of the grand stand show who wish to do so will have time to go down the line on the Pike before the juice is turned off and the fair goes to sleep fer the balance of the night. “There is no doubt of the advisability of running evenings wherever possible, particularly if there is a good live local population te draw from. (Continued on page 66.) A section of the Race Track and Grand Stand.