The Billboard 1924-06-14: Vol 36 Iss 24 (1924-06-14)

ee ee a 80 | The Billboard JUNE 14, 1924 THE BROCKTON FAIR Why It Spends $100,000 for a Free-Act Program and Plays a Carnival Company By ELROY S. THOMPSON HE Brockton Agricultural Society, Brockton, Mass., aims steadily to be “The greatest agricultural, industrial and educational fair in the East” and, with its eye continuously on that goal of distinction, uses every effort and feature which will help it hit the mark. There are other good fairs. Many of them are better situated, geographically, to be accessible to the crowds which can be attracted. Many of them have much larger grounds, and nearly all of them have some appropriation behind them, some financial backing But the Brockton Fair started out free nies hanging the high board aenoe to . a : . en i all ornamental iron fence enclosing the grounds, and in 1874 with less than $7,000 subscribed then he had merely begun. By the use ot Dy public-spirited citizens to purchase shrubbe ry and lawns he converted the grounds gr ds, build a race track, fences ang (to a magnificent park. It is not necessary a oon eS ies a to give the details, but the Brockton Fair buildings, and sell itself to the public. grounds now constitute one of New England’s That is all the capital that has ever beauty spots and the eighty-five acres are s hle for +} e — > on'tfibeen subscribed or asked for, and yet, *V#ilable for the use of the public, A magnif : ad cent new sricultural building, the largest in these recent years, the management and best in New England, was erected las has put together each year a show year, and this is available for conventions and : = # F large gatherings. It is already the community which has cost, preyious to opening the Center for “get-together affairs” of all kinds. gates, from $300,000 to $450,000, bet All these things are “made-ready” features, the whole works on good weather and ‘® When mee a vy it has me . OS “ee 7 proper surroundings. Should there be a momen the response of the public, and has Guring the Brockton Vair when there was no usually made a little money to give tO entertainment on the vaudeville stages, no charity or put into financing the next 4ctivity in the two horse show rings, no track . events, nothing stirring in be athietic ieid, fair , t tk t t! hletie field ur. -in the Village Hippodrome or in the air, still A few years ago every building on the 75 the people in the grand stand would have a acres of ground was sadly in need of repairs, very attractive picture laid out re them. Foundations were rotten and roofs weak and ‘ ing of this kind is ever allowed to { leaky, with the walls in the same class. Build; catgtehmess Every minute of the five days j ‘ P nee "38 and fi ve nights is filled with the best which ings had been placed here and there, according ¢ay pe produced in vaudeville, the best horse to the whim of the various departments; @ show given out of doors in the country. track high and unsightly board fence enclosed the events by the best available talent showing grounds: where there were any streets, they i” the United States, the best and nothing a : “ but the best. were either dusty or muddy, according to the weather. he generi mblic saw ¢ unat° = : _— oe . . = “ ROCKTON has become known as the fair _tractive plant, when passing by the grounds beWhich spends $100,000 for free attractions. peen fairs, and the high board fence seemed * It might be better to say it spends about forbid entrance, even if anyone had any infour times that amount, since no admissions ination to enter are charged, except the one admission at the in oletuse ta mat = ie ee gute, and the grounds are so laid out that awn Ee tae ate seek geotieas maionarien everything can be seen to advantage, — were indifferent or neglectful. Neither is it hout buy ng re at in the grand stand. fair to say that the Brockton Fair was not a t are 10,000 free seats provided on the success during the time that its physical plant rounds. ? : Was steadily getting into that condition. Big For the night shows the best in fireworks crowds attended the fair each year, saw a is demanded. No fireworks producing company good show, had a wonderful time, and went has any chance of getting the contract unless away boosting the institution Which bas helped it binds itself to give the best fireworks exto make Brockton tamous. hibition ever staged in New England up to the So, if it was impossible to keep the Brocktime of the fair. The other n ght show features ton Fair down, so to speak, under the conmust be of the same superlative quality, but, ditions related, there must have been a reason of course, the fireworks nt is the headfor its popularity. This reason can be told jiner and the closing feature every night. in one word—entertainment, } A few years ago when agricultural fairs beThere are other fairs in the East, big fairs, gan seriously to consider the midway problem, those which have managements deserving oO so called, some fairs tried to settle it by commendation in a thousand ways, but the gpolishing the midway altoz The managereason Why the Brockton Fair stands at the ment of the Brockton knew from exhead in some ways is because it gives the perience that the carnival spirit was the life public the greatest return in entertainment for of the fair, and that the desire to renew one’s the doliar which it collects at the gate Of youth and “play” was nothing to be frowned any entertainment organization, indoors or out. upon but something to be encouraged. So the If there are exceptions, I do not know of them. yi}lage Hippodrome became a prominent feature The Brockton Fair is striving to be better of the Brockton Fair. President Field had the agriculturally, industrially and educationally. grounds laid out attractively, a definite line It bas a serious purpose, No one could thinkdrawn for the fronts of the shows to line up, ingly for a moment accuse it of superficiality. everything arranged for their convenience and But the directors are absolutely convinced that Jocated so that the 100,000 people who conone of the prime requisites to build it up im gtitute one day’s attendance would pass thru those three ways, and in every other way, i8 the Village Hippodrome on thelr way to all to fill its guests full of the joy of living and the other features of the fair. This “mile never let them forget that the five days and of fun’ included a carnival company last year. five nights of the Brockton Fair are five It was stipulated that all the shows must be days and five nights of unalloyed joy. clean, honest, sanitary, and have some claims _ Thus far, this story has told of success: of to educational value and bealthy fun or they the Brockton Fair, with umattractive physical eoyldn’t “run’’. plant and equipment, The purpose is to show There were 278,000 paid admissions Into the that, even with a serious handicap, a fair prockton Fair last year, and, so far as known, can be a popular success, everyone of that enormous crowd went thru the Village Hippodrome. No complaints reached UT a few years ago Pred PF. Field became the ears of the management, altho criticism was president of the Brockton Agricultural invited. To pass thru the Village Hippodrome Society. Mr. Field is a business man who and not have a good time and be glad you were sizes up a situation and goes ahead with all living was impossible. The concessionists were his might to do a piece of work, once he delighted and made money. The rides were has it assigned to him. A firm believer in usy, the shows patromzed generously and entertainment, he gave his enthusiasm and ryone became a “rooter’’? for the Village eapacity for hard work “to the task of furnishHippodrome and its abundant entertainment ing a proper setting for entertainment. He ‘‘Make everybody have fun wherever they go,”’ visited all the fairs, expositions and shows of was the intention of the management and worthy mention in this country and Europe, so after the fireworks and its attendant big noise far as he was able, got some new ideas and was over everyone was tired but ready to confirmed some which he already had. He acknowledge “It was worth it’’ began to change the appearance of the Brockton This is not intended, in any sense, as a Fair grounds, relocating buildings and putting writeup of the fair last fall. That fair is under them proper foundations, making the merely used as an illustration, as it wag the green grass grow, putting trees and shrubbery first year that the Brockton Fair had a carnival wherever it would lend a beneficial effect, company added to its general entertainment building good roads, placing thousands of program. It was the first year of the Village "3e, FAIRS “EXPOSITIONS | QheirMUSICALand AMUSEMENT END inCONJUNCTION With their PRIVILEGES and C CONCESSIONS President Brockton Agricultural Society, Hippodrome, which is the official name for the joys which has supplanted the y and made it worthy of a new name. preparation for the rectors have arranged for another carnival com Phi will be the Brown & Dyer 2 fai r with attractions which standard of every f the fair poe make the rising z whether they can find any excuse for taking a “dressed up show’, track with brooms, . Everything that is entertaining is given whe "ans been long enough a follower have independent attractions to offer know specialized busi ., constantly becoming better organized, to deal with those the same exper ment tried again this year, LAST BUILDING OF FRISCO EXPO. CLOSES San Francisco, June 6.—On June 1 the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, « valued at several hundred thonsand dollars, proposed art museum building in the civie center “T would ike to Ree this magnificent building A glance at the Hotel Directory In this issue save considerable time and inconvenience. ONE DAY FOR RUNNERS AT FLEMINGTON FAIR Is New Feature at This Fair— ‘‘Pageant of Progress’”’ Also To Be Staged Flemington, N, J., June 6.—An innovation at the Fler gton Fair this year will be a day for runt ng ra a that has never before been tried at this fair. In former year there have freqt ale been running races mixed in with the harness events, but this Is the first time one entire day will be dévoted t the runners. Racing will be under Jockey Club rules and there will be high-class officials in Sat irday will be devoted to automobile ra as usual. In the other lines of entertainment many new features are promised, and it announced that there will be more in the way of free attractions than ever before J. Reithoffer, of Philadelphia, has been booked with his rides and some shows. The balance of the midway is being booked independen At the coming fair a ‘*‘Pageant of Progress” will be staged by the John B. Rogérs I’r Company of, Fostoria, O. Many musical featur: will be introduced in the pageant. Last year the pageant staged was declared to |} " wonderful production, seme six bundred peop) taking part. The cast in this year's event will be fully as large, and officials of the fair are enthusiastic over the possibilities of t! pageant, as well as over prospects for t fair in general. MOUNT HOLLY (N.J.) FAIR QUITS AFTER 76 YEARS Mount Holly, N. J., June 7.—The Burtir County Fair, held here for 76 years, js to b discont nued. That decision was reached at a meeting of the fair association directors last week in the office of the secretary, Richard W Wills, The association will dissolve and t grounds and buildings will be sold to th: highest bidder. Increased loss of money on the annual fai , caused the directors to reach their de: It was felt that another association might th able to run the fair at a profit, but t who aided in putting on the county fair ea year felt that they could no longer help thy fair to survive. The present association ha been doing service since 1900. Secretary Wills ends a long term of real service to the people of Burlington county [1 being the moving spirit in promoting the fair each year. The fair this rear would have tv the seventy-seventh, With ai skip of tw years, it has been held in Mount Holly for TS yes ars. It is likely that some action toward holding an exhibit of county products will be tak: in the near future, as it will not be desire 4 to terminate altogether the idea of a county fair. Horse racing will stop, however. What will become of the fair grounds fs not yet known, altho at present fit seems likely that they will be sold as building lots It said a syndicate of Philadelphia race-track m is desirous of buying the grounds, or the “track and grand stand at least, for the holding of running races here during the summer. NEW ENGLAND FAIR Worcester, Mass., June 2.—Premiums amount ing to $23,000 will he offered by the New England Fair, to be held here September 1. 2 3 and 4. Bertram Durell, secretary, announces that California Frank’@ show has been engaced for the fair, and it should prove a great draw ing card, as it made a big hit at many other fairs In this section last season, The New England Trotting Breeders, Inc will hold their colt races in connection with the New England Falr. More than forty nom! nations have been made in the two division of these stake races, and the purses will total! about $4,000. H. T. Hyde, of Southbride Mass., Is the new enperintendent of racing. The J. Alex Sloan ontfit will hold auto races on Thursday, September 4, NO FAIR AT SALINAS M R. Keef, secretary of the California Rodeo, Salinas, Calif., advises that on account of the pre valence of the hoof and mouth diseas no show will be held at Salinas this year Next season, however, the fair will be held as usual, it Is expected, and on a larger seal than heretofore, A new $40,000 grand atan! is being constructed. It will have a seating capacity of 10,000. FINE RACING ASSURED Dover, O., June 6.—With announcement by G. M. Barle speed secretary, that all classe have heen filled. the Tuscarawas County Fair is assured of the best three dave of sors racing next fall ever staged In thie vicinity The program calls for five $1,000 purses ant four $500 purses.