The Faulkner County Fair - 90 Years Ago 
by John P. Townsend

Editor's Note: The late John P. Townsend was born in 1902 in the Cadron Gap community north of Conway and lived most of his adult life in the same vicinity. This essay on the County Fair was one of six "As I Remember" stories published in booklet form in 1988. (See "Fighting Fires and Celebrating the End of World War I" in the Fall/Winter 1995 issue of Faulkner Facts and Fiddlings.)

The year was 1908. (1) Faulkner County had progressed to the point where it could afford a county fair, so the Conway Board of Trade [a forerunner of the Chamber of Commerce] hired a manager and leased some vacant property on the east side of town, north of what is now Oak Street. (2) At that time, Oak Street was a dirt road known as the Beebe Road. 

The committee had a plank fence built on the south, west, and north sides of the property and built a fenced racetrack on the east side. The plank fence was attached to the fence for the racetrack, enclosing the east side as well. 

They had a grandstand built along with a place to display fireworks and an exhibit hall. This hall was a two-story structure. The upper floor was designated for women's exhibits such as canned fruits and vegetables, jelly and preserves, and all kinds of needle work, such as quilts, bedspreads, tablecloths, and clothing. 

The downstairs had a packed earth floor and was enclosed with heavy poultry wire. Here all farm products such as cotton, corn, hay, wheat, oats, and garden produce were displayed. Small farm animals such as pigs, chickens, ducks, geese, and turkeys were also on exhibit. 

Arrangements were made with a good carnival to move in for the four days. There was Wild West Show, a Negro Minstrel Show, a merry-go-round, and a picture gallery where you could have your picture made to look like you were standing in the ring of the moon. The photographer would callout: "Have your picture made! Have your picture made up in the Crescent Moon!" 

There was a good Midway consisting of all kinds of side-shows, a fortune wheel, a fishing stand, a shooting gallery, and a place where men and boys could test their throwing skill - a doll rack. Here you gave a dime for three baseballs, and if you were able to knock down three of the dolls you got twenty - five cents. The cotton candy stand was run by an old man and lady with a machine which was manually operated. Needless to say, they did a rushing business!

Churches from town and over the county rented space 
and put in concession stands. They sold ham sandwiches, hamburgers, popcorn, peanuts, candy, ice cream, and other foods such as cakes and pies. There were several orangeade stands. You could buy a hamburger for five cents and a big, tall glass of orangeade for five cents, making a cheap meal! Other stands specialized in novelties and souvenirs which attracted the young folks. I remember my older sisters coming home loaded down with trinkets. They were bragging that one of their boy friends had gotten a five dollar bill changed and spent it entertaining them!

There were harness horse races every afternoon. Men from all over the country brought their race horses and sulkeys to compete for cash prizes. There was one local horse entered in these races. It was owned by George Ethridge and was drive by Mr. Howell, who later put in the Arkway picture show. The local horse did not win many races, but he was usually in contention. There was no pari-mutual betting, but no doubt there were many side bets!

Every night there was a fireworks display which went on for about thirty minutes and created great interest. 

Every evening after the races a hot air balloon went up. It had a frame to hold it upright while being inflated. The operators burned some kind of oil underneath it, which put out a heavy black smoke. When the balloon was filled, the ground crew loosened it from its moorings and it went up with a man on a swing under it. When it reached a certain height, the man would cut himself loose and come down in a parachute. After losing the weight of 
the man, the balloon would turn bottom-upwards and the smoke would escape, allowing the balloon to fall to the ground. (3) 

Before each Wild West Show, the performers would parade on horseback through the grounds spinning their ropes and shooting their guns, which created a lot of excitement and no doubt added to the attendance. 

Jack King, the fair manager, was my father's uncle and so my father, Robert B. Townsend, assisted him each year during the fairs. (4) He had passes for our whole family, so we came and went at will. This is one reason I can remember so much about the early fairs. 

The fair went on as usual until Saturday afternoon, when people began picking up their exhibits and collecting their prizes. That afternoon, after the races and the balloon flight, there was the most colorful event in the whole fair - a baby show. Women from town and over the county who had a baby a year old or less could enter the baby in this event, and apparently each woman thought her baby ought to win first prize. The contest was held in the grandstand. There was a three-man judging team who looked the babies over and got together and decided the first, second, and third place winners. Their mothers were very happy! But, oh boy, were the others mad, thinking their babies were cheated out of first prize! I know, because my mother entered my little baby brother in the contest, and she contended as long as she lived that he was cheated out of first prize! 

After the Fair ended and the carnival moved out, the management got together to see how they came out financially. The only revenues they received were the entrance fees to the ground, the rent money from the concession spaces, and a percentage from the carnival. The entry fee for the horse races went to pay the prizes. They saw they had overextended and finished in the red! Thinking they could make it up the next fall, they went ahead with their plans. This went on for five years-each year getting in a little deeper, so they gave up, disbanded, tore the buildings down, tore the outer fence down, and left only the racetrack fence which remained for several years. The land went back to its owner and no more fairs were held for a number of years. (5) 

I am old and don't get around much, so haven't been to the present day Fair for a while, but I venture a guess that the Fair of today is not more impressive than were the early Faulkner County Fairs! 

(1) In his article on the Faulkner County Fair written for our county history, Faulkner County: Its Land and People (1986), pp. 278-280, Roger Q. Mills, Jr., states that the first fair was held in 1909, which is the correct date. See the Mills article for details on the organization of the first and subsequent fairs. Also, see article by Marianne Burton, "The Faulkner County Fair," Faulkner Facts and Fiddlings (Fall 1974), pp. 49-61. 
(2) The area was bounded on the south by Oak Street, on the west by Harkrider, on the north by Mill, and on the east by Ingram. The 40-acre area was leased from H. B. Ingram and Sam Frauenthal. 
(3) In 1911, all classes at Hendrix College and Academy were dismissed so that students could see an "aeroplane" at the Faulkner County Fair. Hendrix Mirror (October, 1911), p. 14. 
(4) King was the assistant manager of the first two fairs and became manager in 1911. 
(5) Roger Mills states that the 1914 Fair had a $500 deficit and no more Faulkner County Fairs were held until 1938. 

Faulkner Facts and Fiddlings
Fall and Winter, 1998, Volume XL, Nos. 3-4
Pages 74-76