Local fairs have long history of unusual exhibits

The county fair is an important institution in Arkansas and the nation as a whole. The fairs provide an opportunity for farmers to exhibit livestock, for wives and children to show off vegetables or arts and crafts, for athletes to compete, and — most importantly — it allows a respite from monotony and hard work.

The origin of fairs goes far back in time. The word comes from the Latin feria, meaning holy day. Fairs were common during the Middle Ages, usually tied to a religious commemoration. The first gathering which can be considered a fair in the United States occurred in 1811 in Pittsfield, Mass., when the Berkshire Agricultural Society hosted a two-day “cattle show.” Within a few years, most counties in New England had some sort of fair or exhibition.

County fairs were slow in coming to Arkansas and the rural South. Sources are scattered and sometimes contradictory, but the first was probably held in Little Rock in 1868. It is also probably no accident that it came during the Reconstruction era, when several New Englanders with the Union army were living in Little Rock.

This first fair was not thoroughly reported, but the 1870 event was well covered in the newspapers, and attendance was good except for the final day when a heavy rain spoiled the fun. These early fairs were not limited to Pulaski County exhibitors, so they took on some aspects of a state fair. An actual state fair was many years in the future.

Early fairs were racially integrated. The Gazette reported that Jack Agery, a local Black leader, entered “a very fine Berkshire pig” in the 1870 fair.

The practice of commercial vendors using fairs as marketplaces goes back to these early expos. A Russellville merchant named J.H. Battenfield offered “several cooking stoves,” while a Little Rock store owner displayed the popular Buck stove. In 1870, most Arkansans still used fireplaces to cook food, though the new technology had already caught the eyes of many wives.

While rodeos are often a part of modern county fairs, the early fairs stressed horseracing and equestrian skills. The 1870 Little Rock fair awarded premiums to the best boy and girl riders under age 14, among many horse- related prizes. The 1900 Johnson County fair featured extensive exhibits of locally grown apples and other fruits; however, it was horseracing which drew attendance.

“Every stall of the track is taken,” the Arkansas Democrat reported, “and horses [are] arriving from Missouri, Indian Territory, Louisiana, Iowa and Texas every few days.” The paper noted that a Nebraska horse named Troublesome was “a winner with quite a reputation.”

Perhaps the best organized early fair was in the Jackson County seat of Jacksonport. A printed program from the 1873 fair, which was administered by the Jackson County Agricultural and Mechanical Association, offered numerous awards, cash premiums and horseracing. A fair superintendent oversaw exhibit entries in fruits, vegetables, field grains, poultry and the Domestic Department.

Among the prizes awarded by the Domestic Department was $ 2 for the best “salt-rising bread.” A separate prize of $5 was given for the best tea cake made by a girl under 14. Other awards could be considered unusual, including best hunting rifle and best flowers made from human hair.

It is not surprising that any fair held in Jacksonport would stress horseracing, since the area was known for its horseflesh. Horses were put through a series of one-mile heats, with the two fastest receiving $25 — not a small prize. Races involving both racehorses and trotters concluded the final day of the fair, with winners awarded $50 each. A separate race was held for mules, with the winner receiving $10.

The Jackson County fair program detailed four days of judging an extensive and unusual group of categories. Local businessman Ben Adler supervised the judging of a host of “carriages, top buggies, no-top buggies, spring market wagons and wheelbarrows.”

The third day of the Jackson County fair was given over to the work of women and girls. Many textiles were entered, with prizes such as gold thimbles awarded for the best specimens of embroidery, lace, tatting, patchwork, knitting, embroidery in beadwork and articles such as sunbonnets, plumed hats, woven counterpanes, shawls and piano throws. Silver cups, napkin rings and spoons were given for best penmanship, watercolors, wax fruits and flowers.

As Jackson County was a major cotton-producing area, the largest prize was $100 for the best bale of cotton. It is more surprising that prizes were given for homemade wines with categories for blackberry and grape wine as well as brandied fruits and cider.

Newspaper coverage of the early fairs sparked interest in many areas, but progress was mixed. An Independence County newspaper complained in 1879 that local residents should establish a fair and quit being “idle onlookers.”

In that same year, the editor of the Jonesboro Times noted that Yell County recently established a county fair, and that he was “glad to learn that other counties … are waking up on the subject [even] if Craighead isn’t.” Lacking a county fair, the small Clark County town of Okolona “got up a little fair” of its own in 1875, though it did not continue, and residents would have to wait until 1889 when the Clark County fair began.

By 1900 several counties had started fairs, with the Fort Smith Times bragging that the Fort Smith Street Fair was among the four important fairs held in October, the others being the Johnson, Ouachita and Jefferson county fairs.

The advent of county agricultural extension work through the University of Arkansas spurred the development of county fairs. The Perry County fair, which started in 1912, benefited from “county demonstration agent” T.J. Neely and his wife. Neely sponsored the Boys’ Corn Club, while Mrs. Neely had charge of the Girls’ Canning Club. One Canning Club member, Miss Imo Davis of Houston, Ark., exhibited “58 varieties of vegetables, going Heinz one better.”

The Perry County fair of 1915 included features not found in the early fairs, such as a baby show. While horseracing was not a major part of the Perry County fair, various track and field competitions were highlighted. Local schools competed in basketball, though they must not have been full- length games, as the Bigelow High School boys defeated Casa 28 to 4 and the Bigelow girls outscored Casa 5 to 4.