Show our part in feeding the nation special information service united states department 0 agriculture COMMUNITY FAIRS SPELL OPERATION cooperation CO the schoolhouse makes a central place to hold a community fair COMMUNITY FAIR FOSTERS RIVALRY 9 farmers and families cooper co oper ate with neighbors in exhibiting hi best products BROUGHT TOGETHER first step Is to interest leaders then elect officers and appoint committees ribbons usually awarded as premiums john jonesb basket 0 potatoes takes the blue ribbon at the fair and immediately every fanner in the community secretly plans to take that prize away from jones next year and jones seeing jim browns winning corn resolves that next time he will add that premium to his other trophies and so on down the alloe of all exhibits the community fair fosters the spirit of friendly rivalry it calls not only for the exhibition of the best products that haie been grown and the best work that has been done but it includes as well games athletic contests pageants and other features which bring the men and women and the boys and girls together tor wholesome recreation alie first step tow ard holding a corn munley belr Is to interest the leaders of the community the second Is to call a meeting of the whole comman ity to elect officers and appoint committees to have charge of the work the fair should be well advertised and effort should be made to secure exhibits from as many persons as possible rather than to secure exhibits of exceptional quality for premiums ribbons are usually awarded rather than cash payments As most of the preparations tor the fair are made by volunteer workers the small amount of money required for incidental ex benses can be raised by subscription or by the sale of advertising space in the catalogue or on the program there should be no entry fees or ad mission charge grouping the exhibits while it Is to be expected that the exhibits at a community fair will receive special attention for the purpose of exhibition nevertheless they represent as nearly as possible thi normal production of the community for one of the purposes of holding a fair Is to stimulate a desire to increase the quantity and to improve the quality of the average product freak exhibits of all kinds are to be avoided personal solicitation has beep found to be the most effective means of in ducong people to make exhibits each exhibitor should realize that he Is in competition only with other members of the community and that it will not be possible for some stranger to take all the prizes satisfactory results are usually obtained in community fairs by grouping classed of exhibits thus in the live stock department horses cattle swine poultry and peta are exhibited in the farm products department part ment are shown varieties of grains and seeds grasses and forage crops field beans and pens peanuts and potatoes together with dairy products and bee products the orchard and garden department includes such exhibits as fruits and vegetables ornamental shrubbery and flowers the woman s work and one arts department part ment include prepared foods canned goods jellies and pickles and all kinds of needlework together with euch exhibits us paint ings metal work aralua and reed basket work pottery painted china and jewelry the and club department tn eludes all exhibits from organizations in the community which wish to bring the results of their work before the community in this avay the historical relics department includes firearms swords caps and other war relics old looms spinning wheels and articles produced on them old pictures drawings documents indian relics family relics geological specimens and objects of interest from other lands ribbons for prizes experience has proved that the awarding of money prizes not only makes the cost of a fair prohibitive but by placing the emphasis on money instead of on the honor of achievement defeats the purpose of the fair the best results have been obtained where ribbons have been awarded the color of the ribbon denoting the grade of the prize it money is available for printing the ribbons each one should be so printed as to show the occasion place and date awards should be made on the badts of the excellence of the exhibit and no premium should be awarded to a poor exhibit accordingly tor the information of exhibitors it Is well to publish tor each class of exhibits the requirements that are to be considered by the judges la awarding premiums the managements of county fairs are beginning to realize the value of the community exhibit as a factor in making the county fair serve its purpose as an agricultural exhibition liberal premiums have been offered for these community exhibits either in cash or in such form as to be of community use as for example reference books on agricultural subjects to be kept in the community library a watering trough conveniently located or a drinking fountain one state has recently passed a law providing for the holding of community fairs and appropriating money for the purpose of packing community exhibits and transporting them to the larger fairs EXHIBITS IN ONE COUNTY an interesting county fair made up of 72 community eahl bits was recently held in a county in the middle west there were no races or alde j shows the people in at spent their time for n two days in visiting and in the exhibits and in wholesome recreation under the supervision of an expert reccea director from a neighbor ing city the exhibits occupy ing in all about square feet of floor pace and square feet of wall space w ere housed in vacant buildings on the business street and in tents each community had its booths and the several committees vied with each other in making attractive exhibits of the products of the farm home and school MW HM MW th H H honey in place of sugar the simplest way effusing honey Is to serve it like jam or with bread breakfast cereals boiled rice pancakes and other mild flavored foods As ordinarily used on bread n ounce of honey spreads as many slices as an ounce of jam ahen it Is to be used in the place of some people dilute it by mixing it with hot water which has the effect of making it not only less sweet kut also easier to pour honey or a mixture of honey and sugar can be satisfactorily used for sweetening lemonade and other fruit drinks of any kind Is more convenient tor this purpose than sugar and when charged la to be added it has a advantage since it has less tendency to expel the gas the fact that honey consists principally of sugar and water and Is slightly add suggests that it Is a suitable substitute for molasses in cookery |