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| Special Gene Patrick cartoon from August 21, 1967 Journal |
Well, it's one of my favorite times of they year – here at last. Yup, it's Lorain County Fair time!
I'll be out there later in the week, sampling all of my once-a-year treats, like a Rutana's Apple Dumpling (hold the ice cream but extra sauce, please). And of course I have to visit the honey booth, the rabbits, the photography exhibit, etc. It always feels about the same – and that's why I love it. The Lorain County Fair is timeless fun.
Seventy years ago, the 1955 edition of Lorain County Fair was being celebrated as taking place during the Centennial Year. As the Lorain County Fair dates back to about 1846, perhaps the Fair was appropriating the year of the first fair held in Wellington (1855)? Remember that for decades, the Lorain County Fair was held in Elyria, while another fair was held in Wellington, until they merged in the early 1940s. But I'm not sure why the 1955 Fair was designated the Centennial Fair.
Anyway, here's the front page of the Lorain Journal of August 22, 1955 with a great photo of the Fair gate.
As was the custom, an ad ran in the
Journal each day weeks before the Fair began, highlighting the grandstand shows and attractions. Dance bands seemed to dominate the stage shows that year, with
Ted Weems and His Band featuring Bonnie Ann Shaw, and
Ralph Flanagan and His Orchestra as two of the headliners.
But many fair-goers expect and demand excitement – and the Fair didn't disappoint. As one ad notes, "Daredevils from three different Auto Thrill Shows" were to compete against each other in every known. kind of automobile thriller."
In early September, the Journal's "Town Talk" column of Sept. 3, 1955 by James Howard provided a great and funny analysis of 'crowd psychology' as witnessed at the Lorain County Fair.
I'm happy folks enjoy the fair, but I sure don't. Too many people and too much noise. And before anybody accuses me of being a grumpy, old man... I've never liked too many people and too much noise. So, I suppose, maybe, I was a grumpy, young boy, too.
ReplyDeleteI note the polio cases. 1955 was right on the edge of the vaccine being publicly available.
I only went to the Fair once, 1966; like you, I 'm not really a fan of crowds and noise , makes me nervous and jumpy.
DeleteFollowing up on Don's point - the poor boy who was newly afflicted was my age. It was a scary time; one of my classmates contracted the disease. The Salk vaccine was a gift that alleviated the fear.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the James Howard column. I worked with a PR guy of that name 15 years later. Lovely fellow - I suspect it's the same person.
Both front pages feature the stomach-churning details of catastrophe that used to characterize the daily paper.
Just hope there is no disruption from any of today's kids at the fair like they've been doing at other county fairs.Berea had their little gangland shooting a couple weeks back.Listen up you little wannabe gangsters,behave yourself as nobody wants to be a part of your summer time fun.People want to go and enjoy the fair the way they used to,like they did before any of you guys were even born.
ReplyDelete1955 was the year my family moved from Lorain to Bucyrus, so I missed the Centennial County Fair. We returned to Lorain for good in 1963. My favorite fair activity was climbing over the tractors and other farm machinery. It was odd to read about the rise in fatal traffic accidents while the fair featured daredevil driving. Another topic that is stll relevant, but dripping with irony compared to the news today, is the headline “U.S. Won’t Sell Out Free World For Peace.”
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