Spokane’s Fifteen-Cent Fair Was a Dollar Show for the Inland Empire

We might as well begin our account of the Spokane Fruit Fair by saying that it was a success—a great success—and follow it up by making the positive assertion that it was the grandest success of any exposition ever held in the Northwest. It was conducted on strikingly original lines, and its divergence from the conduct so general with agricultural fairs only tended to increase its popularity.

It was a dollar show for 15 cents—and everybody went, not once nor twice, but every day, morning, afternoon and evening. An immense frame and canvas structure, covering a big part of a block right in the heart of the city, held the exhibits. Fifteen cents paid the way of each man, woman and youngster, and was the only charge. Fine music and catchy specialties entertained the crowds.

All the Inland Empire threw off the cares of life for the time and took in the great exposition. It was a happy, light-hearted crowd that Spokane held as her guests.

There was nothing degrading about the fair—no gambling allowed on the ground, no partnership of the management with a saloon, and no side issues. It was clean, healthy, elevating and educational in all its departments. It brought the brightest and most successful minds in horticulture and agriculture from all over the Northwest, there to meet in communion, to establish friendly relations and go home with a warmer and stronger feeling for their brothers of the soil.

The arrangement of the pavilion was in itself a most commendable feature. Wide and free were the passageways. There was not a poor booth in the building. Nothing appeared cramped, and the generous distribution of space, the excellent light, the bright combination of colors, the merry throngs, all as jolly as the day was long, made the fair a dream of perfection.

Just north of the grand stand was situated the pavilion or building containing the Whitman County exhibit—no, not containing it, for much of it was on the outside, and it would have been impossible to get it all on the inside. The building was about forty feet square, with a double doorway and four arched windows on each side. The wooden framework was covered on the outside with black cloth for a background. This was again covered to a large extent with tiny sheaves of several kinds of grain. The inside was decorated with light green cloth. The roof was thatched with grain. White and pink bunting artistically draped composed the ceiling.

Last week we gave an account of their fair at Colfax. Almost all the fruit, vegetables and grains shown there were brought here. The hundreds of display jars of fruit were arranged on shelves around the inside of the pavilion. Two large tables, with four to five feet walking space between them, extended clear around the inside of the room. The scores and scores of fine-looking apples, pears, peaches, plums, grapes and prunes, both dried and fresh, were on these tables; also nuts, tomatoes, gourds, lemon peaches, pie melons, seven different kinds of peppers, chicory, almonds, quinces, etc.

Many beautiful and interesting photographs of typical farm scenes were scattered around the room. The building was surrounded by dozens of apple and pear boxes, bags of wheat, huge squashes and melons, bushels of potatoes and other vegetables.

This building and its display took an immense amount of work. Altogether it was a great display of farm products, and attracted much attention and admiration. Whitman County ought to be grateful to those who worked so diligently and to such good success in preparing, arranging and caring for this exhibit. Mr. B. Burgunder was at the head, and E. M. Burch and William Cooper were his assistants.

A box of nice yellow apples was shown in the Whitman County display which were from “trees 60 years old.” These apples were grown in Asotin County, on trees propagated.