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Show L v ! I C ' j ? 1 j v ( j 3IE0 WARWICK thumbs through scrapbook as he recalls early days of Utah County Fair. I Reed Warnick : fleasant Grove Man -Recalls Early Fairs Pleasant Grove native Reed 'fflck, now residing in Orem, was korganizer of the first Utah County airway back in 1926. He recalls that attendance was so Nat that first fair that admission liimt charged on the last day. "f Warnick, 84, remembers that in 25 the county had acquired some fPerty south of Provo where har-. s races had formerly been con- 11 that time, he was executive ary of the Utah County Farm u and the county commoners com-moners asked him to consider the JWy as a possible site for the Unity fair, ! the Utah County Farm Bureau "to Provo Chamber of Com-fice Com-fice m favor of the project, Mr. presented a plan for the fair county officials. J f 'd the commissioners were ahead with the project and 5V6,000 for the fair- They iilv p . cash Premiums would Sat 1 1 the junior exhibitors and i)Kau the rest would receive rib- jtrtt!in,uSpecial Prizes were also .'Jher exhibitors. fair included different irio.K ,ndlng events including Cth (ayS' Mn Wamick ex-"iat ex-"iat they had a very good carnival and also a stunt flier whose wife was a wingwalker. He noted that those were the days when barnstorming was the rage and so the stunt pilot was an outstanding feature at the fair. Mr. Warnick added that the fair that year was extremely successful and included a pageant entitled, "Escalante's Vision of Utah Valley," which was presented each evening. The fair was held in early September, Sep-tember, on Thursday through Saturday. Three large tents, about 75 feet by 40 feet, were borrowed from Fort Douglas. Bleachers were moved from a local ballpark. At that first county fair, only 4-H club members and Future Farmers of America were allowed to submit livestock entries. Other exhibitions included farm products, vegetables and fruits, and booths from the Farm Bureau Locals and other organizations. Also popular were the women's exhibits of bottled fruits and vegetables, handicrafts and quilts. Horse pulling contest attracted large crowds. Admission charges for the fair were 50 cents for adults and 25 cents for children, Mr. Warnick recalls. He noted that they had anticipated revenues of $700 one day and actually made $1,600. |