1936 Titus County Fair
Secret ballots to elect 1936 directors were sent to each member of the Titus County Fair Association, and were returned by mail without signatures. On January 21, 1936, the following directors were announced: A. J. Coppellar, O. L. Colley, George Lilienstern, Floyd Thomas, J. A. Petty, S. H. Spruger, Sam Williams, W. A. Ford, R. F. Lindsay, Gus Presley, G. W. Cross, W. R. Whitaker, Dr. Dan M. Witt, C. H. McDonald, L. L. Simpson, and E. M. Lide. Five new members were selected: O. L. Colley, L. L. Simpson, Gus Presley, W. R. Whitaker, and C. H. McDonald.
Plans for another fair were already being made, and association representatives planned to go to Dallas on January 24 to contact amusement companies to secure a better carnival for the fair.
On their trip, they selected the Ben Hurst Shows. People who had seen their carnival said they had new equipment and a well balanced carnival comprised of seven rides, seven shows and twenty-five concessions. All of their features were high quality, and the fair association felt fortunate to secure them.
Fair directors met on May 13 to elect officers, and all incumbents were re-elected. They were S. H. Spurger, president, Sam Williams and W. A. Ford vice presidents, and Delbert Snider, secretary and treasurer.
Dates for next fair were set for Tuesday, September 29 to Saturday, October 3.
If crop conditions proved favorable, and because of the increased population from the Talco oil boom, the coming fair was expected to draw the largest crowds in history. The Titus County Fair was not the only attraction in 1936, because it was also the year of the Texas Centennial Celebration. What has since become Dallas Fair Park was built for the occasion. The Centennial Celebration spurred interest in county fairs and goodwill tours to promote the Texas Centennial.
A prize committee consisting of County Agent D. R. Ralph, Home Agent Susie Brabham, and Vocational Teachers A. L. Crossland, F. T. Ward, Fred Blackard and R. J. Bolton was appointed. A total of $750 (approximately $11,225.00 in 2007 dollars) was voted for exhibitors' prizes.
In addition to the regular prize list, an additional $50 was allocated for a poultry show in connection with other exhibits because poultry had been neglected for several years due to a lack of interest. However, poultry raising was returning in favor among Titus County farmers. Since there was much more interest, fair directors expected to have a creditable poultry exhibit.
On August 20 the Titus County Fair Association advertised for two couples to participate in a double wedding ceremony. Anyone wanting to participate was invited to telephone 213 and ask Madam X for details.
Titus County Fair Association directors met at the City Hall on September 4 and voted to construct another building for poultry exhibits. Work was to start immediately so it could be completed before the fair started. Bids were also requested to paint all the fair buildings.
Directors decided to buy the big stock of fireworks purchased for the July first dairy festival that were not used and had been stored ever since so they could have a large fireworks display one night of the fair.
The first Titus County Fair advertising tour was made on Saturday afternoon, September 7. Several cars filled with fair boosters visited Talco, Bogata and Deport.
A string band entertained crowds with several popular songs and attracted a large number of people for their program. Morris Rolston made short talks at each stop to outline some of the entertainment offered. Several boys went along to scatter circulars around the towns visited giving more details of the fair.
Another trip was made on Saturday, September 19 to Cookville, Omaha, and Naples, followed by a tour on September 26 to Pittsburg, Cason, Daingerfield and Hughes Springs.
The Dallas Chamber of Commerce sent a delegation to the Titus County Fair to promote the Texas Centennial Celebration in Dallas. James K. Wilson, chairman of the Dallas Chamber's goodwill trip committee, said that greater interest was shown in the Mt. Pleasant excursion than in any other goodwill trip sponsored by the Dallas Chamber. Since oil was discovered in northern Titus County, Mt. Pleasant had been in the public eye and big cities made special efforts to impress Titus County.
Rains on Saturday and Sunday settled dust on the grounds, and clear weather on opening day assured that the week's events were certain to draw the largest attendance of any local fair.
The Bob Hurst Shows moved in on Monday, September 28th and were ready for operation that night. They had a much larger carnival than last year's, with six rides, nine shows and thirty concessions. One of the features was Doc King's "Sergeant Four Eyes" whale display. He also showed a large collection of mammals and reptiles that he collected from all over the world.
Decorations were strung across the streets and businesses displayed flags and bunting on the September 29th.
Everything was finally ready for the Titus County Fair and Dairy Show's opening day.
In spite a summer drought, agricultural exhibits were unusually good. The Concord, Cookville, East Side, Farmers' Academy, Green Hill, Monticello, Nevill's Chapel, Old Union, Wilkinson (Sugar Hill), and Winfield communities had displays in the exhibit hall. Blackard's Farm, Raymond Brown's High View farm, C. A. Dalton, W. M. Ferguson, E. L. Goates, Fred Mercer's Sunny Slope Farm, and the G. M. Scott Farm had individual farm exhibits.
The new poultry building was well populated with fine chickens even though it was the first year that poultry exhibit space had been available. Over thirty different exhibits were shown, but there were several empty coops which would likely be filled the next year.
The Soil Conservation Service had an exhibit showing the effect of water erosion on farm land and how to counteract it through practices demonstrated on the Hart's Creek project in the agricultural building. The agricultural building also had some nice general farm exhibits.
Judging of canned goods was held Tuesday morning in the women's building. The Concord, East Side, Green Hill, and Nevill's Chapel demonstration clubs each had over 75 different canned goods and preserves each. There were also some fine exhibits of culinary arts in the women's building that attracted lots of attention.
Another feature in the women's building was a large exhibit with about fifty different clothing articles and household goods made from various kinds of sacks. Their quality did not indicate the kind of material used, and even full suits of clothing were exhibited.
Frank Newman had a taxidermist display in the women's building.
About 30 beef cattle were on display in the livestock building by Tuesday afternoon.
Tuesday
The fair's opening day was designated as Dallas Day. A large delegation arrived from Dallas on Tuesday, September 29 to help open the fair. The Dallas delegation, two hundred strong and traveling in eight busses, left the Dallas Chamber of Commerce building at 7 a.m., but arrived an hour late after stopping at several towns along Highway One on the way. Highway patrolmen and several cars with Mayor Earl M. Lide leading escorted the busses into town.
The Rotary Club served about a hundred visitors a luncheon at the Jefferson Hotel. The Southern Methodist University Mustang Band and others went to the First Presbyterian Church basement, where the ladies of the church served a luncheon to about two hundred.
After the luncheons, the Dallas visitors went to the west ward school building and joined the fair's opening parade through the business district and on to the fair grounds. The parade formed on North Madison Avenue near the west ward school (the block between West 6th and West 7th Streets), marched south down Madison to the southwest corner of the square, turned east to North Jefferson Avenue, and followed North Jefferson to the fair grounds,
The S. M. U. Mustang Band led the parade, which was nearly a mile long. Band Director P. C. Conn said it was the band's first out-of-town appearance for the year.
The parade included decorated floats and advertising cars. Stars from the Dallas Centennial Exposition Midway were given places of honor on one of the leading floats. They were Mille Corrinne, the "Apple Dancer" of the Streets of all Nations; Ludie Mae Sensabaugh, known as "Sugah" on the Dr Pepper program; Luz Villa Lobos and Ellie Miller, of Midget City; Lisa Chauvez, the "diving" Venus" of the Streets of Paris; Fred Dustin, who made the South Pole trips with Admiral Richard E. Byrd; and Rowdy, one of the huskies from Little America.
Other decorated floats were entered by the Winfield school, the Titus County Library Association, the Cookville School, the F.F.A. chapter, the Talco School and the Mt. Pleasant School.
An old time covered wagon drawn by four oxen represented how pioneers came to this area a hundred years before.
The Dallas visitors rode in their eight chartered buses.
The last float was occupied by Titus County Fair Queen Miss Margaret Stewart, accompanied by her court, all dressed in elaborate costumes.
After the parade, the Dallas visitors and much of the crowd on the streets went to Fair Park where the Dallas businessmen, the S. M. U. band, and the visiting stars of the Dallas Centennial presented a prearranged program.
The Talco Chamber of Commerce sent a delegation to Mt. Pleasant on the fair's opening day to assist Mt. Pleasant in entertaining the Dallas visitors. The visitors had asked to inspect the Talco oil field, and Talco residents were eager to show them Titus County's biggest asset.
Winners of the parade's decorated float contest were Winfield, first place; Public Library, second place; Cookville, third place; and F.F.A. boys, fourth place.
Fair Association Directors selected Miss Margaret Stewart, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. D. Stewart of the Green Hill community, as Queen of the Titus County Fair. Miss Stewart acted as Queen of the Titus County Dairy Show on July 1, and was honored at the Dallas Centennial on a recent visit.
The directors also selected several Princesses from various Titus County communities and towns in nearby counties to take part in the coronation ceremonies.
The Queen's coronation ceremony began at 8 p.m. on a beautifully decorated platform in front of the grand stand. Hiram Brown acted as master of ceremonies. An arched trellis decorated with wisteria, ferns, and other greenery formed a background for the Queen's throne, which was covered with a gold cloth. Large baskets of gladioli and radiance roses lined the platform's approach.
An orchestra arranged by Paul Cohen played America while Clayton Gaddis as Uncle Sam, Miss Katherine Florey as Miss America, and Miss Marie Holland took their places near the dais. A group of colorfully costumed girls formed the Texas flag while the orchestra played "The Eyes of Texas".
Miss Stewart appeared with her court, consisting of princesses Miss Martha Sue Smith of Naples, Miss Doris Davis of Winfield, Miss Margaret Cato of Talco, Miss Janette Cloud of Pittsburg, Miss Dorothy Chestnutt of Cookville, Miss Pauline McMurrian of Mt. Vernon, Miss Jewel Pope of Argo, Miss Imogene Williams of Daingerfield, Miss Lucille Lane of Stonewall and Miss Thelma Wilkes of Titus County. Ladies-in-waiting were Misses Almarie Moody, Marianne Denman, Hortense Spurger and Tilly Lilienstern. All were attired in beautifully colored evening gowns and carried fan boquets of tuberoses, roses and gladioli with loops of contrasting colored ribbons.
The queen wore a white moire taffeta dress, made with fitting bodice and short puffed sleeves. The flared skirt fell in a short train. She carried a colorful bouquet of sweetheart roses and tuberoses. Her court train was carried by little Miss Ann Patrick and Sandra Bourgain, who wore colonial dresses of pink net. The crown bearer was Jimmie Austin and Mary Jane and John Holland Morton were pages. Patsy Denman was court jester, and Morris Rolston crowned Miss Stewart.
A special program was presented in honor of the Queen and her court. Martha Williams, Beth D. Johnson, Juanita Redfearn and Johnnie Goolsby performed a scarf dance. James Witt and O. L. Colley performed a cornet duet. Miss Novie Sue Cawthon performed a ballet accompanied on the piano by Mr. Witt.
The grandstand was filled to overflowing, with almost as many people who could not find seats.
After the coronation, a huge pyrotechnics display that far exceeded all expectations was presented at 9 o'clock. The fireworks display lasted about 20 minutes, with hundreds of different designs being shot into the air. The fireworks were an outstanding feature that created more favorable comments than anything yet presented by the fair association. It was something that many people had not seen, and the bursting rockets and bombs made a beautiful sight that was long remembered.
It was the most elaborate opening day ceremony in the fair's history.
Tuesday night's attendance far exceeded any opening night in the fair's history, and the large crowd was not disappointed.
Wednesday
Wednesday, September 30 was School Children's Day. As usual, Titus County school children were admitted free until 5 o'clock. All Titus County schools closed at noon so the children could attend the fair, and the fair ground gates were opened to them at one o'clock. Several contests for the school children began at 2 o'clock when cash prizes were given for sack races, greased pole climbing, greased pig chase and other contests.
It was also Fort Worth Day. The Titus County Fair Association invited members of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce to attend the Centennial Fair at Mt. Pleasant.
Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce executive W. L. Pier was quoted as saying "Fort Worth has accepted this special day in appreciation of the large number of people East Texas has sent to its Frontier Centennial Exposition, and a desire to assist Titus County people in their celebration and Centennial fair."
A bus filled with prominent Fort Worth businessmen left there at 8 o'clock Wednesday morning and arrived in Mt. Pleasant about noon. The Fort Worth visitors were treated to a luncheon in the same manner as their Dallas neighbors, and the Talco delegation helped entertain them.
The bus had full sound equipment, and the Fort Worth delegation presented a program at the fair grounds during the afternoon.
Community exhibits in the main building were judged Wednesday afternoon. Monticello won first place, Green Hill second place, Cookville third place, Wilkinson fourth, Farmers' Academy fifth, Old Union sixth, Winfield seventh, East Side eighth, Nevill's Chapel ninth, and Concord tenth place.
Blackstone Farm won first place in individual exhibits, Raymond Brown's Highview Farm won second, Scott Farm third, C. A. Dalton fourth, Rufus Payne fifth, Fred Mercer's Sunnyslope Farm sixth, J. E. Goates seventh, and W. M. Ferguson eighth.
H. L. Hess, H. L. Hess, Jr., and Rev. John A. Williams, the only entrants, won the beef cattle prizes although there were about thirty cattle on display.
The judges were Roy Morgan of Pittsburg, W. M. Williamson of Mt. Vernon, R. R. Morrison of Daingerfield, and John Erickson and Mr. Walker of Jefferson.
On Wednesday night, the principal attraction was a big sing-song at the grandstand where hundreds of school children sang a number of songs under direction of Hollace Combs. Morris Rolston acted as master of ceremonies.
After the singing, the Fair Association held a stunt contest beginning at 8 p.m. offering cash prizes to clubs and organizations that presented the best stunts in front of the grandstand. A few stunts were performed, but the public did not respond very well to this feature even though some nice prizes were offered.
The second fireworks display was presented at 9 o'clock, but it was not as elaborate Tuesday night's.
There was some kind of disagreement between fair officials and the Mt. Pleasant Volunteer Fire Department on Tuesday or Wednesday. The Wednesday Mt. Pleasant Daily Times ran a notice to fair exhibitors stating "This is to notify you that the Fire Department is not going to watch for fires during the fair, due to a disagreement with fair officials. Otis Falls, Ben Kennedy, Vance Plum, L. L. Hamilton, W. J. Minor, Glover Smith, Joe Reagan, Tom Lyle, Otis McMinn. F. E. Knechtel."
Thursday
Thursday was Shreveport Day, when the Shreveport Chamber of Commerce sent a delegation to visit the fair. They brought a number of novelty features to entertainment fair visitors and advertise Shreveport. As with the two previous delegations from Dallas and Fort Worth, they were treated to a luncheon upon arrival. The Talco delegation helped entertain them and answer questions about the oil field.
The fair's main attraction for Thursday was the horse and mule show. There was increased interest in raising horses and mules in Titus County during the last few years, and over a hundred head of horses and mules were on display. All classes were shown. Gregg County Agent Ross McSwain judged the animals and said that he had a hard time making some of the choices.
After the morning's judging, all of the animals were paraded before the grandstand. The horse and mule show was rapidly becoming one of the most important features of the fair.
At 3 o'clock there was a team pulling contest supervised by County Agent D. R. Ralph.
Local merchants present an elaborate style show in cooperation with the county's home demonstration clubs at 8 p.m.
Winners of WFAA Radio's Amateur Contest held at the Texas Centennial on July Fourth were featured in a big stage show.
Friday
Friday afternoon the Mt. Pleasant Tigers and Union Grove played a football game at the fair at 3 o'clock.
The big event, though, was the public wedding when Miss Lucille McNeal became the bride of Mr. Calvin Freeman on an elaborately decorated platform before grandstand.
Before the ceremony, Titus County Fair Queen Miss Margaret Stewart and her ladies-in-waiting, Misses Tilly Lilienstern, Marianne Denman, Hortense Spurger and Almarie Moody took their places before the platform to witness the ceremony.
An orchestra arranged by Paul Cohen and accompanied by Mrs. J. E. Witt at the piano played a program of pre-nuptial music. They also played the wedding march from Lohengrin.
Rev. George Moore, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, conducted the ceremony before an improvised altar. The arches were covered with greenery, roses and wisteria. Three large floor baskets of ferns, roses and gladioli sat between the arches, while two small baskets of roses were on the balconades on each side. White tapers burned in floor candelabras on each side of the altar, casting a soft glow over the setting.
The bridesmaids, Misses Margaret Coffey, Laura Walker, Juandelle Chapman and Marie Jones wore beautiful pastel chiffon and taffeta evening dresses, and each carried an arm bouquet of roses. The matron of honor, Mrs. Eugene Hoffmann, wore a cerise chiffon gown with long flared skirt and carried an arm bouquet of gladioli.
The flower girls were Caroline McClintock and Sandra Burgoin. They wore pink dresses made colonial style and carried arm baskets of rose petals and scattered them in the path of the bride. The ring-bearer, little Sylvia Sue Spurger, was dressed in white and carried the ring on a satin pillow.
The bride was lovely in a frock of white crepe and corresponding accessories. Her veil was fashioned cap-style and caught at the head with a wreath of orange blossoms. Her bouquet was of angel lilies and ferns. She was given in marriage by Dr. J. E. Witt.
Mr. Freeman was accompanied to the altar by J. T. Williams as best man and Dove McDonald, Jr., Claude McDonald, Jr., Jimmie Sexton and Morris Rolston as groomsmen.
The bride was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Walter McNeal of the Cypress community. Mr. Freeman resided in the Chapel Hill community.
Narcissus was played during the ceremony and Mendelsohn March as the recessional.
Saturday
The tenth annual Titus County Fair came to a successful close Saturday night with an address by Texas Attorney General William McCraw.
The number of people present Saturday night far exceeded any crowd to visit the fair since its beginning. The Mt. Pleasant Daily Times reported that an estimated ten thousand people were in the grounds for the final attractions, and all previous attendance records were shattered.
The gate receipts for the five days and nights showed an increase of over 25 per cent over the previous year, which had been the best year for the fair. The attendance each day considerably exceeded last year's.
The fair was fortunate to have a large number of visitors from large cities come and participate, and as a result many other people were drawn to the exposition. The address of Attorney General Bill McCraw on Saturday night attracted a number of people who otherwise would not have attended.
The following Monday plans were already being made for the 1937 fair.
