Fair a Success!

From the Pine City Pioneer, September 22, 1911:

The Twenty-fourth Annual Fair a Grand Success in Every Department

The Pine County Fair Association has just closed one of the most successful fairs in the history of the association and the management is to be congratulated in furnishing to the visitors such a high class fair, both entertaining and instructive. The success of the twenty-fourth annual fair can be largely accredited to the untiring efforts of Secretary H.W. Harte and President J.Y. Breckenridge.

The exhibits in all the departments were the best ever seen in Pine county, or in fact in this part of the state. The exhibits from the towns in the northern part of the county are deserving of special mention, especially those from Hinckley, Sandstone, Kerrick, Bruno, Willow River and Sturgeon Lake show that the soil of Pine county, that at one time was considered worthless for farming, produces as good crops as can be found anywhere in the state. It has always been supposed that it was too cold to raise fruit in this part of the state, but to see the fruit exhibited at the fair grounds would convince the most skeptical that such is not the case, as the quality of fruit exhibited would compare favorably with any seen at the state fair.

An exhibit of Hinckley strawberries at the 1904 Pine County Fair

The exhibit of S.B. Wells of corn and wheat, which took the first premium at the state fair was on exhibition but not entered for a premium, attracted a great deal of attention, as it was exhibited in a show case in the large tent that held the exhibits from the northern part of the county. The exhibit of Iver Stumne, in a show case in the same tent, of Indian relics found on his farm at Pokegama lake was exceedingly fine, and was looked at with interest by the fair visitors.

The live stock exhibits were the finest ever seen in this part of the state and shows conclusively that our farmers have found that it pays to keep good stock. The dairy herds exhibited show that Pine county farmers have as good dairy herds as can be found in the state.

Tuesday, the first day of the fair, was an ideal day and the program of entertainment and sports was carried out exactly as advertised. At about 1:30 J.Y. Breckenridge, president of the association, formally opened the fair with a few remarks, followed by music by the Hudson & Thurber Co. of Minneapolis, Southland orchestra, which by the way is one of the greatest attractions that a fair can have, as they furnish an entertainment that it is hard to equal. Joel G. Winkjer, of St. Paul, was introduced and spoke for some time on dairying, he being at the head of the state Dairy and Food Commission. At the close of his remarks Gov. E.O. Eberhart was next called on and for over an hour made one of the finest talks we have heard in many a day and made votes for himself next fall, although not a word of politics was spoken. The Governor talked as though he was addressing one person, and his remarks were listened too with marked attention.

Pine County Fair - September 19, 1911

The part of the program that drew the crowd the first day, which was the largest of the three, was the next on the program, that being the marriage on the platform in front of the grandstand. At about three o'clock the Boy Scouts marched to the entrance of the grounds and accompanied the two automobiles containing the bridal party clearing the road for them when near the grandstand as the people were packed around the platform in a solid mass and the boys had to use their staffs in order to clear a road. The party in the autos were Rev. H.H. Parish and wife and the bridal pair, who were Mr. Arthur Elroy Wood and Miss Gertrude May Eaton, both of Willow River, were in the first, the second contained the ring bearer, two flower girls, and Mrs. H.W. Harte.

The ceremony was performed according to the ritual of the M.E. Church, the bride being given away by Governor E.O. Eberhart. The pair looked very nice, and after the ceremony they received the congratulations of those on the platform. The couple took in the fair the balance of the afternoon and departed on the night train for Hinckley where they remained until morning, when they departed for St. Cloud to visit relatives and friends after which they will return to Willow River where they will make their future home.

Gertrude Eaton and Arthur Wood

After the ceremony Mons Dubec entertained the crowd with his troupe of trained dogs, cats, monkeys, apes and rats. The performance of these animals each day of the fair was watched with a great deal of interest by the assembled crowds.

The ball game between the teams of Meadow Lawn and Rock Lake resulted in a victory for the Rock Lake team.

The boy scouts who were very much in evidence during the fair then went through some of their stunts, which were both instructive and interesting.

Each evening of the fair at about 7:30 the Southland orchestra entertained a crowd in the park for about an hour and a half, and to say that they entertained is putting it mildly, as during their concerts the park in front of the band stand was filled with people, even Wednesday evening in quite a hard rain storm the crowd was about the same as on pleasant evenings.

Tuesday's entertainment concluded with a wrestling match in Stekl's hall between Fred Hass, of Princeton, and Guy Hendricks, of this place. Before the principal match a preliminary was arranged between Harvie Davis and George Stekl, who went a fast bout for about five minutes. At 9:30 the principal actors stepped onto the mat to make the final arrangements. They chose Axel Rosendahl, of Sandstone, as referee and J.D. Boyle time keeper. After the arrangements were completed the referee introduced the men, time was called, and the sport began. It took seventeen minutes of as pretty work as has ever been seen on a mat in this place before the local man with a body scissors succeeded in in pinning the shoulders of his antagonist to the mat. After a rest of five minutes they again battled royally for twelve minutes when the local man was given the second fall. Before the commencement of the match Earl Chaffee issued a challenge to the winner which was accepted both by Mr. Hendricks and also by Mr. Hass. Mr. Hass said that he was fairly defeated but would like to meet both of the local men.

This closed the first day of the most successful fair ever held in Pine county.