1955-09-07; Reporter

              '. *<y
THE
VOL. 8, NO..50—WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7
"Fastest Growing Weekly In Washtenaw. County"
5c COPY — $2 A YEAR
Fair: From
ed to
EDITOR'S NOTE: This, is believed to be the first published
history.of the Saline Community 3?a,ix. It is based oh minute's
kept by. the Fair since 1944 and
' interviews with' several persons
active in the Fair for many
years. Additional data and
anecdotes on the Fair would be
welcomed by The Reporter.
. * -*   *■ ■'
By Bob Beyers    •
SALINE^ The'Saline Community Fair, which will hold its
twelfth annual - program this
month; .began as an orgariiza-
tion,in name only. Today its ac-
a tivities • draw support. from" urban and rural leaders' throughout" the, Valine area, and the
Fair is secondto none for communities-its-size ih the- whole
state:'      •  ■ •  :'     ■■■■: •   •."'■■■
What began' as aii entirely
student-run activity, of the Future Farmers, of America has
been transformed, through the
years,, into a major community
undertaking. for civic organizations, farm groups, merchants
and students alike,   y
While dates can be assigned
most of the important physical
changes in the Fair, its vigorous spirit arid 'continued growth
have been the achievements of
!,% all those" individuals who have
I r worked to make it. a success.
The history of. the Fair is their
story.       y   "' ■ '
■'. Beginnings of The Fair
The " beginnings, of what
eventually became ■] the Saline
Community Fair can be traced
to th& year "1941, when the agriculture instructor" at Saline
High '. School," organized • a
school fair under.. the auspices -
of the Future Farmers. Exhibits
were.shown in- the agriculture
room at the school.
In 1942. and 1943, the exhibits
were shown in the-High School
gym. Tables were placed around
the walls of the gym, chairs in
the middle; .and a program of
speakers and entertainment
ip, added". ',
In 1944,-when Charles Osgood
* •    -   * - *. - ^ - *^y \* .* ".% *
Charles Osgood
* £   *   *
became agriculture teacher,
many citizens became interested in expanding this program
through state, aid. The state
paid 50 per cent of the premium costs and a few other
expenses of fairs that were incorporated, registered with the
County clerk and State Fair
Department, and had an adult
board of officers.
The Fair Incorporates
Accordingly, an organizational meeting was convened by
Osgood Sept. 26, 1944, and steps
-k taken to meet the provisions
for state aid. The move to incorporate as the Saline Community Fair was made by Carl
Curtiss and seconded by
William" Austin, Officers elected were: Arthur Hagen, president; Alwin Burkhardt/ vice-
president; Leo Jensen, treasurer; and Osgood, secretary. Jensen remained treasurer until
1948 and Osgood secretary until 1954.
Officers of the first Fair de-
. cided to leave the program entirely in the hands of the Future Farmers, as shown in the
^following excerpt from the mih-
^utes:   -
"It was recommended that
the" local Future Farmers carry
out the* operation   of the   Fair
as they had in the past and the
association would give them
their full support. Motion to adjourn, carried."
Tents for the first Community' Fair were erected at the*
rear of the school gym, and
concessions were operated by
clubs and classes at the school.
John Lather was president of
the Future Farmers at. that
time.
First Steps in Expansion
The second meeting of the
Community Fair Board was
held Sept. 6, 1945, when Jensen
reported a balance of $118.42
from the previous year's activities and means of improving the program were discussed.
Albert Lange, Stanley Gall, Alwin Burkhardt and Ferman
Clements were appointed adult
advisors to the Future Farmers
to help establish a horse show,
horse pulling contest, rural
school exhibit, and crop show,
respectively.
AH incumbent officers were
re-elected, while- Eldene Finkbeiner was chosen Fair manager by the Future Farmers. The
program was expanded to cover a two-day period. Total attendance at the Board meeting
was 10.
In 1946, the Fair took several
steps forward towards its present status. The program was
lengthened to three days,, a
professional entertainer was
contracted, and fireworks, a
football game, rodeo and parade included in the fast-growing list of Fair events.
Big Strides Forward
Breaking with tradition, the
Board gave the food concession
to the Legion Auxiliary. All
funds from the concessions
were given the Future Farmers,
however, and they, in turn,
paid $100 to $150 toward the
fireworks program. Lynford
Rentscheler and Aaron Girbach
were Future Farmers Fair managers.
The scope and intensity of.
Fair activity in 1940 resulted in
the appointment of 14 committees to handle Fair 'projects.
Fouc meetings of -_the -Board-
were held ''prior" "to the ~ Fair,
with upwards of 20 present at
each session. Myron Gallagher
was elected .Fair president,
while Hagen was chosen vice-
president. Thirty-two served
on the Fair Board.
Results Dramatic
, Results from the 1946 Fair
were dramatic: where total receipts in 1945 were less than
$800, the 1946 Fair had receipts
of approximately $1,800. The
Fair-was well on its way toward a solid financial footing,
and 'Board members voted to
celebrate the successful program at a banquet with- the
Future Farmers.
Preparation for the 1947 Fair
began in January, and no fewer than 13 meetings were held
before the. event itself took
place. The'Washtenaw Rabbit
Association asked to haye its
annual show at the Fair and,
after much discussion over
several months, the request
was granted. A . horse pulling
contest was organized by Mike
Robinson and Gall.
Mike Sheehan, long an active
Fair booster,, suggested the first
steer raffle in June, 1947, and
won Board approval for same.
Appropriations for fireworks
were set at $350, and shows
were staged on both Thursday
and Friday night for the first
time. Playland United Shows
was contracted to run entertainment, a job they have held
for several years at the Fair.
Lee Robinson offered the
Fair support' on- behalf of the
.Junior Chamber of Commerce,
and that group was promptly
assigned to arrange sports and
promote ticket sales, a - job
- which took on greater importance in the " face of reduced,
state aid.
• ,    Women's Program Starts
E. J. Beasley began organizational work to provide a suitable program of interest to women at the Fair, while Frank
Deede •completed arrangements
LONG-TIME BOOSTERS of the Fair -are Mr. and Mrs. Fred
Arend, active in the project since its .early days and now
leaders of farm and Tiome economics programs.
to have the "Breakfast in
Hollywood" radio show broadcast from the Saline High
School gym.       ''?-.-'
Throughout the early" -years
of the Fair, Mrs. Olin Wanty
and the late C. D. Finkbeiniij
were leaders in^dexeloping the;
home economicsji-andc .^agticul-.
tura! exhibits*'; ''•[■       "**'
Receipts at the 1947 Fair
mpre than, ,-doubled . thg. M&§.
.record, 'totalling $3,925.'-"Assets
of the Fair passed the $1,000
mark.
William Wallo and Donald
Wiedman handled FFA activities at the Fair, and their
group received a flat .fee of'
$75 for their services from the
Fair. Operation    of    the   Fair,
mended for its work in the
1947 Fair flower show and became one of the major community groups supporting the
fair. ■'.      '■'■'■
Possibilities of including a
major farm machinery show
at-the Fair were fcrst outlined
> to the Board by Allie Gross in
June,' 1948, and quickly received favorable response -from the
Board and,'.Fair-gOBrs.
"""""Progifatn Again Lengthened'"""
At the suggestion of Osgood,
the Fair program .was lengthened to four days,, including a.
Children's Day in addition to
Farmers Day, Homecoming:
Day, and Merchants Day. Ernie
Gleason proposed a tug-of-war:
between    the    four   townships:
SALINE FAIR PARADE marches down MicbJ
s (Photo courtesy Allie Gross.)
had, in a short four years,
pa'ssed almost completely from
the FFA to the Board.
tf   the    school
s change was
the  program.
re also incited to
In. January, 1948, Raymond • paTticipateM the selection of a
Girbach was elected Fair pres- Fair/oeautfliueen, anof propos-
ident, a -position -he retains ~als .Weyljfssed ,for v-the first
today.- Sheehan was chosen hom£ tal^{ sHow- ^Jh
vice-president    and     the   late
Six
Clarence Cook,' treasurer.
Board members were
attend the State Fair meeting
in   Detroit, the   first   recorded
instance of "Saline -participation
in that" meeting.	
- Regular  * monthly
were- scheduled"  toy '■* the   Fair
t most <
year,'a: practice  that continues
down to the present. The Saline. Woman's Club   was, com-
*   *   * •'
FFA
mission to the 1950- Fair and
some -of the .eoncessions as well.
The talent show =was given a
•budget of $100 and Ken Rogers
was placed in charge of arranging the program, a position
he has held fpr five years.
Total attendance at the 1950
Fair was estimated at 17,000,
with gross revenues totalling
$7,813. A balance of $3,300 re-,
mained in the treasury in December.
In 1951, controversy over
raffles and concessions led to a
clarification of Board policy in
these two areas. The tug-of-
war was dropped in favor of a
tractor backing contest for
junior boys and 'girls, but
otherwise program changes
were few. A visit by the governor highlighted the Fair, itself.
Attendance- dipped slightly to
an estimated 15,000, while total
receipts were $7,382.
Fair Date Debated
In 1952, sentiment favoring
a change in the Fair date from
its- traditional time in late
September developed in the
community, partially because
-of the conflict between the Fair
^nd school activities. After
'considerable discussion and
two close votes, the Fair Board
decided against changing the
date, 10-8.
Later in the year, at the suggestion of Art Miller, activities
of the Saline Lamb Club were
incorporated in the Fair program.
Eldean Hieber " was chosen
Fair vice-president in elections
held during Dec, while Een
Rogers was elected treasurer.
Hieber was soon drafted by the
Army, being replaced by Webb
Harwood:
Fair. Hats Introduced
Tlje famous Saline Fair hats
were introduced early in 1953,
and distribution through rural
schools, auctions and other area
assemblies made them "a real
puller," in the tfords of Robert
Hammond, present Fair secre
tary. More than 2,000 of these
promotion pieces were given
"area' residents. ', '
^T-he ,1953 Fa@^oar4i£§isou?se&<
the possibility of ** distributing
Fair tickets through hired personnel, but decided to continue
having this activity handled by
Saline High School students.
Distribution of the tickets has
become a major means of supporting the annual senior class
trip to Washington and other
-class activities.
The year 1953 also saw' the
introduction of automotive exhibits and the exit of the annual steer raffle, caused by a
.state ban on lotteries. In the
■years it operated, the raffle
=proved one of the Fair's most
.profitable activities because of
•its interest to area farmers. Max
Ross and Waynard Carr had
helped support this activity by
raising a calf purchased for the
raffle at no expense to the Fair.
FFA support of Fair activities
received special commendation
in 1953", Tsjhen the Fair voted
an extra $25 to the farm youth
organization for their help.
•   Visit by Governor
Last year's Fair, as most
everyone knows, was highlighted
by a visit from Gov. G.Williams.
Politicking had reached such
an intense level that the Board
deemed it wise to restrict distribution of political materials
at the Fairgrounds, but allowed
both major parties to have
booths on the grounds.
Paid admissions at last year's
Fair passed the 10*000 mark
with $2,600 realized from this
source alone.
1848
FIRST STEER CLUBBERS gather for photo by Aue Gross in la«.
named to Faic wa|gfeArefyJ.
r meeting      WithMff "lexpan&ed* and improved J^OTam, $ie 1948  Fair
d'rew^'^looa:^)^   attendance
and a total four-day crowd es-
w^h,,,^ 'timated at-10,000. Receipts to-
">£  S talled   ?5'900'    an   increase of'
„ -.   J ..    .    t,    . '. '   . Jry   approximately 50 per cent over
Board.throughout most of the  the preceding year.
™o» 'o  Virootino    that.   r>nnf.mn05 ^       »-»*»i»0   J""f
Plans for a premium book,
discua.-*.>d arid - dropped in 1948,
were adopted- and executed successfully the following year.
Program changes were few. The
Future Farmers. replaced ■ township teams:", in the tug-of-war,
tractor putting contests were
added to tlie -farm machinery
show, and y spot radio broadcasts began.
Receipts,at the 1949 Fair
climbed to.y$7,580, a jump of
more than 25 per cent over the
preceding year. New officers
elected at the annual banquet
in December Included Clarence
Haarer-, vice-president, and Alwin Burktfardt, treasurer.  .
Ta:&rt Show Grows
. Students from the upper four
High School classes   were permitted   Jo Sell tickets    for ad-
Pig Club Gave
.Steer Club Start
The Saline Steer Club,
known earlier as the Junior
Livestock Feeding and Show
Association, had its beginnings in the Saline Pig Club,
according to Charles Osgood,
first secretary of the Saline
Community Fair:
Back in, the early days of
the Fair, the Pig Club was
formed to create interest in
"livestock among farm youth.
Ten pigs were purchased for
a "rustle" at the Fair, where
they were released for
youngsters to catch in a
pen.     Those   catching   the
• pigs became their owners,
and each free pig was supposed to be replaced with
another by its owner at the
following  year's  Fair.
This   plan did not  workout  too  well,   however,   so
all the remaining pigs were
"auctioned off at the 1947
Fair and the money turned
over to the Steer Giub, an
organization originally suggested by Clarence Haarer.
TUG-O-WAR was a feature of the 1948 Fair.    (Photo courtesy Allie Gross.)
Crowd of 1,000 Expected
At Manchester Ceremony
• Dr. John A. Hannah
For Overseas Broadcast
German Teacher Tape Records Talk
With Speakers of Swabian Dialect
A traveling German teacher
studying the. Swabian dialect
tape - recorded conversations
with approximately 20 County
residents last week, and noted
that Washtenaw was "probably
the best defined Swabian set'
tlement" he hopes  to find in
'Forward to '56'
Conference Theme
For Michigan GOP
The "All Michigan Republican
Forward to '56 Conference"
will be held at Mackinac Island
Sept. 17-1*8,. County Repblican
spokesmen have announced..
The meeting- is open to the
public, ad ^ives and children of
those attending have been
specially invited to visit the-
Island. Persons interested in
further information have been
requested to contact Mrs. H. R.Crane, of Ann Arbor, Mrs. Gordon Gable, of Ypsilanti, or Mrs.
John Flook, of Saline.
*. * • *
County Republicans,
Map Membership Drive
ANN ARBO& —: Members of;
the Washtenaw Republican Party Labor Committee plan*.to
open a county-wide-membership
drive this week.' Shift change
at Hoover Ball and Bearing Co.
Thursday, Sept.8 will be the
opener in the drive,,
the United States, Canada, and
Mexico.
Dr. Karl Goetz, a German
commercial high school teacher,
author and radio commentator,
made the recordings while a
guest of Emerson Hutzel at
Pleasant Lake. Four tapes taken
on a machine operated by "car
batteries were recorded and
sent to Tuebingen, Germany,
ior broadcast there. ,.
Last Tuesday, Dr. Goetz visited Bethel Church, in Bridge-
water, where he interviewed
Hutzel and the Rev, T.W. Menzel. After that he visited W. H.
Blome, of Saline, and the Lodi
Plains -cemetery.
Wednesday he came to Ann
Arbor for conversation with
Julia Kirchoferi a descendant
of Pastor Friedrich Schmid, a
"pioneer German missionary in
the County. He also visited the
Bethlenem cemetery, site of
Schmid's first church, and took
the HuronORiver Drive to Dexter
and the County lakes. Afterwards, he visited the Salem
Lutheran Church, also founded
by. Schmid.
Df' Goetz expressed amazement at the :size of grocery
supermarkets in America and
iound the scale of the University of. Michigan * campus tremendous,' in comparison with
German universities.
1VIANCHESTER — A crowd
estimated at upwards of 1,000
is expected to attend dedication
ceremonies for. the -new High _.
School building Wednesday,*
Sept. 28, school spokesmen have
revealed.
Featured speaker at the exercises will be Dr. John A. Hannah,    president    of    Michigan
State    University    and  former
Assistant Secretary of Defense.
Hannah's   address will be   the
first   he has   delivered in   the '
state for several   months, following   extensive   travel over- ■
seas and throughout the United
States. Hannah's agreement to
appeal", in Manchester^asvsec-
, nrecj-.Iar.gely through, the efffets^^,.
-of^jaw^t^^^^r'wiaii-nijhi of
-the--Board "of    Education',, -v/ho"
has been active,in state"" agricultural affairs with the University.
While no definite schedule
for the dedication has yet been
drafted by the Board of Education, personal invitations to
the ceremony are now being
prepared by Mrs. Hulda Martin
and Mrs-. Frank Spafard for
distribution to all High School
alumni. In addition,' appromi-
mately 35 leading educator? and
local school superintendents
will probably be sent invitations, according to Klager.
Scene of the ceremony will
be the combined boys and girls,
gymnasium, where bleechers
with a capacity for 700-850
guests will soon be erected.
Overflow audiences will be able
to hear the- speakers" over the
school's public address -system"
in near by-classrooms:
Various civic organizations
and groups like the Parent-
Teachers Association are now
being contacted by the Board
in an effort to complete arrangements for th'e prograni,
which will probably include an
open house prior to Df! Hannah's address.
"Built at a total cost of approximately $465,000, the new
High School covers 30,000 square
feet and includes classroom-
space for 300 students. Photographs of the school and pro-,
gram details will be published
in future issues' of The Reporter.    *
ALTAR SOCIETY MEETING
MANCHESTER — The, first
fall meeting of the Altar Society
df St. Mary's Catholic Church
will be held Thursday, Sept. 8,
at .the church.
Fence Fund Debt
Payment Foreseen
. MANCHESTER — A net profit of $1,350 on the chicken
barbecue held by the Manchester Civic Club and the Jaycee's.
last month has brought the debt
on the athletic field fence down
to $2,200, according to Dan Boutell, chairman of the fence finance  committee.       *
The fence was built in 1952
at a cost of $7,000. Last year
a .chicken barbecue put on by
the Exchange Club' and Jaycees netted a profit of $1,019
towards the ndte underwritten
by the Exchange Club, now
known as the Manchester 'Civic
Club.
A number of local organizations, such as the American
Legion and the PTA have given
benefits for the fund, and*
Boutell hopes that similar activities this winter -and another
barbecue next summer will payoff the entire debt.
"~SL