HomeMy WebLinkAbout1978 07-25 Ramsey Free Fair has come a long way, says founder, 88 THE REVIEW t./GL .?S/ /9i
Y
Ramse Free Fair has come
a long way, says founder, 88
By SEAN T.KELLY Beginning Wednesday evening flea market behind Hillcrest
Staff Writer and all of the four following Shopping Center, Golden Gloves
days,fairgoers can expect a line- boxing at 4 p.m., the Powder
The Ramsey County Free Fair up of 4-H events,art shows,sing- Milk Biscuit Band at 8:30 p.m.
has come a"long"way, ers, dancers, carnival rides, a and disco dancing, also at 8:30
And Walter Long, 88, has dog show and lots of bands. p.m.
helped to guide it every step.
The White Bear Avenue annu- Sunday will have the conclu-.
The fair began modestly, as a al parade will take place at 7 sion.of a women's softball tour-
rural event, in 1913, said Long p.m. Thursday and end up at the nament at 10:30 a.m. at nearby
who was there as one of the orig- fairgrounds' front door. Belly Wakefield Park and a bicycle iv,organizers and who is still dancers will begin the first of deo at 1:30 p.m. near Aldrich:"
active on the fair board to this three shows at 7:30 p.m: Thurs- Arena, plus other events on the
day. day as part of a Middle Eastern fairgrounds. .
The fair's first home was on entertainment. And taking it all in, for the
Bald Eagle Avenue in White Polka dancing will be among 65th year, will be silver-haired
Bear Lake and those attending in Friday's events, holding the Walter Long, making his rounds
the early years were rural and stage from 7 to 11 p.m. in his capacity of superintendent
farm people, he recalled in an of the fairgrounds. And they.;
interview. Saturday will feature a youth don't pay me a lousy cent for'it,
"Everything was under a big horse show at 9 a.m., an all-day he snapped good-naturedly.
circus tent, except the cattle andx
other animals which were tied to i a J. .>
fences. There was no barn or r
anything like that at first," he '�
said. f " '
"OUR FIRST chairman was f
George T. Slade, president of the k,4k
Great Northern Railwayand y ' f
son-in-law of (Great Nothern a "afi g e g et � '
founder)Jim Hill, Long said. ` xx a
The fair continued in White n x `
Bear Lake until 1954 when the r °$ '
school district there took over
the grounds for its expansion. , � ,:,
The fair picked up and moved to ;�. R b
its present location of White �u p
Bear and Frost avenues where it � - h k � F
gradually has taken on a more s ,<
urban character. y �:f , "" ,°s z �
"The fair used to be a big at- ,, y z s ` i
ia
traction for farmers, but now k �' ?� .
there's not a farm worth men- _ �s= *K4 ¢ i < i
litilIffti
tinning left in Ramsey County," 5 ` ,�f
said Long, who was born on a � �� �4: ens�• kr
farm in White Bear Township in �� `, ;t` }1
1890 when it was wild enough to `` > `
, k
boast of a few wolves. y � �,.
The 1978 version of the fair be- ..
gins with the 50-70 Dinner at ``" z . g,:
4:30 p.m. Wednesday in St. '
Peter's Church, North St. Paul. x
Over 500 persons 70 years of age : l
or older who have lived in Ram- f s
sey County for 50 years are
expected. i f'
Long, who is a nominee for "` ,
"Showman of the Year" of the Y.
Minnesota County Fairs Associa- � � # �
tion, happens to be one of the or , ,
ganizers of the 50-70 event which y ,5. ' r. ;
gets bigger every year. Walter Long, pictured before the big barn at the
"THE FAIR grows and grows Ramsey County fairgrounds, has been associated with
"Weevery
expectoear, ver rer150 inded 000 Lonthgs the community event for all of its 65 years.—Staff Pho-
year,"he said. to by Don Church.