Jasper County Democrat, Volume 12, Number 41, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 September 1909 — COMFORTS AT FAIR [ARTICLE]

COMFORTS AT FAIR

Improvements at Indiana Exposition to Help the Visitors Enjoy a Week of Sight-Seeing. SOME FEATURES FOR WOMEN They Find Profitable Enjoyment In All Departments—Flower Show on New Basis— Natiello’a Band, of Philadelphia, Indianapolis Military and Newsboys* Bands Will Give Concerts. Looking to the comfort of its thousands of'visitors from over the state the week of Sept, ft, the management of the State Fair is making numerous improvements on the grounds at Indianapolis. The system of cement walks about the grounds is being extended by 1,000 feet of paving, and in time all of the important buildings of the fair will be so connected, most of them now being reached by these walks. The water supply for the coming fair will be provided from deep-driven wells, to which a pump with a capacity of 600 gallons a minute will be attached. The fair in September is to be a dustless exposition. The roadways were oiled last summer, and before the next fair will have another heavy coating of crude petroleum. Turnstiles have been placed at the gates that visitors can be better taken care of and that gatemen may perform their work with less difficulty than in other years. The fair management in working out its improvement ideas from year to year keeps in mind especially the visitors from away from Indianapolis. This has led to the placing of many drinking fountains about the grounds, the building of a grandstand and open seats along the racetrack with a total capacity of 18,00.0 people. It led to the erection of the coliseum, where there are 5,000 free seats for the day horse and cattle shows, and, should a heavy rain come, this building will easily shelter 20,000 people. Scores of settees are scattered under the shade trees about the grounds, and visitors are always free to bring their baskets from home and spread lunch on the grassy plots. No gambling on the races is allowed at the Indiana Fair. No intoxicating liquors are permitted. No games of chance to fleece the unwary are in operation. No immoral shows are conducted. The grounds are policed by forty men. It is always the purpose of the fair management to make the exposition clean, wholesome and safe for women and children, and the result has been that about two women to one man come to it from over the state. The fair officials in providing entertainment for the women have by experience found they enjoy practically every department. The women like the horse and cattle shows, the races, and it is common to find women have left their farm homes before day and are about the barns looking at the blooded dairy cattle long before Indianapolis people have breakfasted. The poultry show always holds the interest of the women, as does the i exhibitions of fruits and flowers, the honey displays and the dairy products, with the Purdue demonstrations in butter making. The fair’s flower show is on a new basis this year, being in the charge of the Indiana Florists’ Association. Classes have been provided for both professional and amateur growers, and farm and town women who have beds of asters, begonias, geraniums, dahlias, snapdragons and other flowers about their doors can compete. The total flower prizes amount to ov; r §BOO, and there is promise thathere will be many more jpompetitprs than in other years. In tj.ie san: building the shew rs fruits will he given, the prizes for fruits and flowers reaching SI,BOO. In the honey show $250 in prizes will bo awarded. The display of table luxuries is always interesting to the women, and many of the best makers of bread cakes, preserves, candy and past? compete fcr the prizes, which at tin coming fair amount to over S2OtJ. The Fine Arts building is again going to overflow with displays of needlework, hand-made lace, embroideries, photography, arts and crafts, oil paintings and water, colors, handpainted china and ceramics. Some of the exhibitors who carried off ribbons year after year need to look to their laurels at the coming fair, for there will be some fresh competition from new sources. Among the new exhibitors will be the art students of the John Herren Art Institute at Indianapolis. If ribbons in the art department are more difficult fb win at the next fair, it will make these trophies all the more worth having and the displays of higher quality.

The fair in September will offer a feast of concert band music which will be pleasing both to town and country women, as well as all other visitors. Natiello’s band of fifty men will play in the coliseum afternoon and evening. The Indianapolis Military band will give morning concerts in the coliseum and at the races in the afternoon. The Indianapolis Newsboys’ band will play during the day near the Administration building. Natiello’s band is a concert organization of high merit and will present many musical features during its Fair engagement.