The Finley Fair Feud
Kennewick business leaders are accused of ignoring their neighbors after a local paper falsely claimed they supported the Finley Fair.
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.
In the 'Live Wire Sparks' column of the last issue, the following item appeared: 'The Finley Grange wants to express its heartiest thanks to the people of Kennewick who helped so materially in making the Finley Fair a financial success.' We have been thinking for a long time that there was a screw loose in the Live Wire Editor’s head but now we know he is bughouse. There were only four Kennewick people at the Fair. The editor certainly produced a wrong impression. Not one of the business men of Kennewick turned out. How can they expect us to support their 'trade at home program' when this is all the interest they take in us? The trouble with Kennewick is that her men are simply after the almighty dollar so hard that they don’t give a rap for the rest of the community.
“The trouble with Kennewick is that her men are simply after the almighty dollar so hard that they don’t give a rap for the rest of the community.”
Local tensions between rural agricultural communities and urban business centers are a recurring feature of Tri-Cities regional history. The frustration expressed by Finley residents over 'trade at home' rhetoric remains relevant in modern debates over economic development and regional identity in Eastern Washington.
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