City Grinds to a Halt for Walla Walla Fair
Walla Walla businesses and banks shuttered at noon as record-breaking crowds swarmed the fairgrounds to watch the trot and pace races.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Seven thousand people saw Mack Mack win the free-for-all trot at the fairgrounds this afternoon. The crowd is the biggest in the history of Walla Walla racing and is packed into the grandstand and enclosure in a solid mass. Walla Walla business houses, banks and many offices closed at noon today to allow employer and employee alike a chance to visit the fair and enjoy the racing. The first race of the day, the free-for-all trot, was won by Mack Mack in three straight heats. The three-year-old pace brought out Glenn Dell, Economizer, Hallie Hinges, and Teddy. Hallie Hinges took the second and third heats, winning the race.
“Walla Walla business houses, banks and many offices closed at noon today to allow employer and employe alike a chance to visit the fair.”
Public holidays and city-wide closures for local fairs were once a pillar of civic life in Walla Walla. Today, such community-wide pauses are rare, reflecting a shift toward the continuous, 24/7 service economy that defines modern downtown commerce.
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