Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 41, Number 79, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 June 1909 — Crowd at the Lake County Automobile Races Was a Frost. [ARTICLE]

Crowd at the Lake County Automobile Races Was a Frost.

The crowd at the automobile races was a great disappointment, especially at Lowell and other points on the Monon. Stung! is the way the people of Crown Point, Lowell and Rensselaer who expected to make a fortune out of the western stock chasiss races expressed their opinion of their projects after the first day of the races. In spite 5f the advertising that the races have been given all over the country, and the fact that the promoters of the great event expected to have from 100,000 to 300,000 people at various places on the course, the crowd failed to materalize, and in many cases the grand stands that were expected to make a small fortune for their promoters were about the most lonesome places on the course. This was especially true of the stands that were so far removed from Crown Point that they did not catch the crowds. The only people who did any business at all were those who were near the main grand stand or near Crown Point. - Even in the main grand stand there were only 1;000 people when it had a seating capacity of 10,000. Tbh sandwich men, the lemonade venders, the men who had tent cots to Sell, and in fact those who bought supplies with the expectation of disposing of them at fancy prices, were ready and willing to part with their goOds at half price. Those from Rensselaer who had stand privileges at Lowell have a big case of the blues. They had the bakers here bake them 13,000 buns, which they shipped to Lowell. One of the Rensselaer stands took in $1.60 up to 5 o’clock -Friday evening from the sale of hamburger sandwiches at 10 cents each. The crowd in Lowell was not as large as can be seen on the streets of Rensselaer on a Saturday afternoon. The citizens of Lowell who spent large sums in erecting grand stands have their . experience to console them. The stands were nearly all entirely empty and where $2 per seat was asked at the advance sales, any old price was accepted on the days of the races.