More on the Jerseydale Fair The first time the name “Jerseydale” appears in print was September 21, 1889 in the Sacramento Daily Union newspaper. This was a notice of the establishment of a Post Office with Annie Bingham appointed as Postmaster. Previous to this Jerseydale was just a forested area with a beautiful meadow on the trail to Hite’s Cove and other mines in the area. Sawmills of Hussey, Lovejoy & Guard, and later, David Clark, were in the area. The first land patented in the area was that of Horatio Cook, who received his land patent in 1886. He was followed by Arnuald Hilderstein, and Eleazar Laird. Soon the names of Clark, Mathews, Schlageter, Sutton, Bringham, Clay, Snyder, Ferguson, Alvord, and Harris began to appear on the land records. Apples, Hogs and Cattle were raised in the area. In 1912, a Supervisorial District 5 picnic was schedule to be held at the Westfall Grove. The idea of the picnic grew rapidly and within two weeks assumed the proportions of a county fair. The picnic was scheduled to begin on Friday and conclude on Saturday allowing everyone to return home on Sunday, but people began to flock to the area on Wednesday in every mode of transportation from ox carts to automobile until approximately 1,200 people showed up. People from all over the county brought their fruits and vegetables to exhibit. 4th District Supervisor, P.W. Judkins and 5th District Supervisor W.L. McPherson were credited with organizing the display and hosting the friendly rivalry and competition between the districts. Charles Smither was in charge of transforming the virgin wilderness into a beautiful park setting. Tables and chairs to accommodate 300 people, tents were arranged for apartments for the women, speaker platforms with seat for hundreds were built. Piles of sawdust from the local sawmills were brought in for the children to play in and the men to sleep on. A fire patrol was on hand to watch for the safety of the visitors. Singing, dancing and orations were provided for everyone’s entertainment. Even a wild group from Planada and Los Angeles arrived to liven up the festivities. The whole event was financed by the generous donations of those who attended. Planning for the 1913 District Fair started soon after the 1912 Fair ended. In October of 1912, committees were established for Supervisor District 4 and 5 Fair. Four acres of land were leased from T.R. Cummins for the affair. A 30 x 70 foot pavilion was built for dancing and exhibits. Music was provided by Prof. Davies, Miss Agnes Weston and Mrs. Jas. Adair. Dancing went on every afternoon and evening. Agricultural exhibit of fruits, vegetables and canned fruits were displayed with prizes of ribbons awarded to the participants. C.K. Westfall, Angelo Monti and F.W. Jones were awarded silver spoons and gold bowls with an engraving of the Court House on them. They were donated by Mrs. John Trabucco. School work from Mt. Buckingham, Sebastopol, and Chowchilla schools were displayed. George Linville and his wife fed the hungry masses at 25 cents a meal. The Fair ended on Sunday with a display of rope handling by several local cowboys. “Babe” Ashworth surprised the crowd with his skill in twirling a rope around his head in the shape of a figure 8. The Third Annual Fair in 1914 was hailed as a success with the addition of an impromptu Wild West show of a ring catching contest on horseback. A band from Le Grand attended and liberally showered the crowd with their music. The third fair though began to show signs of weakening as not enough funds were collected to meet all the bills. For the Fourth Annual Fair in 1915, the committee solicited bids for the privilege of conducting the restaurant, ice cream stand and feed yard. A small admission charge to meet expenses was levied. The fair consisted of speeches, Wild West acts, and dancing to the Mariposa Brass Band and Angel Melendrez’ string band. Displays of fruits and nuts and other farm products were brought in from all over the county. The newspaper stated “This fair may not of been a financial success but from a social standpoint it was a dandy.” The Fifth Fair was held on September 8th, 9th, and 10th. The Forest Service put up tents near the pavilion for a ladies’ restroom. The Forest Service also built a booth of cedar boughs with tables and benches and a collection of pictures and other interesting items. The Chowchilla Homebuilder’s Club held its regular meeting in the Forest Service booth. Highway Commissioner Stern and Division Engineer Woodson gave speeches about the highway bond issue and Professor Hunt gave a fine talk on soils and orchard problems. The agriculture display was very small this year due to a bad season for growing and a bitterness engendered at last year’s fair. No prizes were awarded except to schools. The fair was free this year, and between the concession and the auction, all expenses were paid. In 1917, walls and a roof were added to the pavilion at the fairgrounds, but further Supervisor District Fairs on a large scale were at an end. September 29, 1917, a big basket picnic followed by a dance at the Bootjack hall was all that could be mustered. American’s entrance into World War I in 1917 and other economic conditions brought the Jerseydale Fair down to an occasional dance and picnic on the grounds. (Thank you Sandy B. for the photos) If you known more please post.....
Posted on: Wed, 24 Sep 2014 16:08:59 +0000
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