Postcard from the Past: What the County Fair Means

An editorial in the June 19, 1924 issue of the Sheridan Post-Enterprise reads:

This, the pre-fair edition of the Sheridan Post-Enterprise, carries the premium list of the Sheridan County Fair for 1924. It brings to the notice of everyone interested information which they will desire in preparing their exhibits and contest entries. 

It is already time for Sheridan County people to plan what their part in the September fair will be, and this edition will help them to do it.

This year’s fair should be bigger than last year, the exhibits should be larger and more numerous and the interest and cooperation on the part of all the residents of the county should be more in general. For those reasons, it is now time to begin active work toward the fair.

In this column yesterday appeared an editorial regarding the need for cooperation and understanding among and between farmers and city men. The county fair is one of the best means we have of aiding this cause. 

The businessmen of the city, for their own sake as well as that of the businessmen in the country, have got to help the farmers get a square deal, stabilize markets, proportion production and offer genuine cooperation. And farmers, besides utilizing outside help, need more than anything else to perfect their organizations, in order so they may control their own destinies instead of letting them be controlled by others.

The purpose of a county fair, while primarily to stress agricultural production, is also capable of including other industries. It should stress a farmer’s life, his needs and his organizations, help in solving his problems and give him a broader outlook on the life of the community in general.