The Struggle to Build a County Fair
Citizens push to establish the Snohomish County Agricultural Society despite massive logistical hurdles and limited resources.
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.
Today the citizens of Snohomish County have a reputation second to none for enterprise. Two years ago, an impromptu citizens fair was held in our town on only a few weeks notice. This was such a success that a County Agricultural Society was organized. Last fall the first fair of the Snohomish County Agricultural Society was held on the society grounds. To hold that fair involved a very large outlay of money and labor. Those who usually take the lead were kept so busy getting the grounds ready that they had little time to display articles; the buildings were only partially ready. Yet, under these disadvantages, the fair was a success. Since then, a large amount of work has been done, and buildings will be in perfect condition next week. We can safely count on at least 1,000 entries this year. There are no entrance fees, and we cordially invite all interested in our community, living abroad, to visit the fair and see the spirit of enterprise that pervades our people.
“They have undertaken and effectively carried out a score of enterprises in the past few years that were deemed wholly impossible by people reading out of our community.”
Early Snohomish boosters used the County Fair as a primary engine for regional growth and marketing. This tension between 'local enterprise' and the need to attract outside investment remains a hallmark of modern Snohomish town-building.
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