The glories of the Huntington fair

Last week we discovered that the famous Orange County Fair was not always held in Costa Mesa or Santa Ana, but for two special years was held right here in Huntington Beach.

This fair ran for three days in 1919, from Thursday, Oct. 2, to Saturday, Oct. 4.

Excitement filled the air of our small beach town as fair time grew near, but there was some apprehension because a week prior to the opening, a big rainstorm brought in 2 1/2 inches of rain.

But the sun came out and smiled with its warmth and dried out the land.

As we learned last week, the fair was held in three large tents located at the corner of Main Street and Olive Avenue and in several smaller locations around town.

Prior to the opening day, the various committees met on Sept. 24 at the library to give their reports.

Culinary Chair Florence Larter requested the committee allow the judging of her exhibit to close prior to the opening day because it would be unfair to those who brought their baked goods in prior to the opening to be judged with the goods brought in later.

The committee decided to allow Larter to conduct her department as she thought best.

The U.S. Army and Navy offered to send displays if the fair committee would ante up $50 for transportation, but it was decided not to do so. The Army sent a smaller exhibit anyway.

But the committee voted to spend $135 and furnish meals for nine outside men to play in Pop Endicott’s concert band.

This committee was presided over by Chairman F.H. McElfresh and Secretary J.K. McDonald and included Kyle Howard, Bertha Proctor, Martha Trafford, George Wardwell, Charles Endicott, Louis Copeland, T.C. DeLapp and Charles Warner.

Mrs. R.C. Labadie reported to the committee that her needlework frames were ready.

If you thought the fair was going to the birds, you were right, for Mrs. C.E. Lavering reported that she would be having a special exhibit of songbirds and would be giving five prizes of $1 each to the owners of the best birds.

Each of the three days would be a special titled day. The first day would be Orange County day, the second education day and the last states’ picnic day.

The opening day arrived, and at exactly 10 a.m. Pop Endicott’s concert band signaled the start of this great fair.

Following the concert came tractor demonstrations, and there was free coffee for those who wanted to have lunch on our beach.

Vaudeville entertainment was provided by Dave King, a buck-and-wing dancer par excellence.

This was followed by the flexible equilibrist duo of Rezal and Atima and the singing and dancing act of Vera and Wilson.

A second vaudeville show was scheduled that evening and included comedian Billy McCall and the novelty dancing of the McCall sisters.

The first day ended with talks by experts on agriculture, horticulture and poultry.

A band concert signaled the start of day two, followed by prominent speakers at the grammar school.

Several schools from Orange County sent students to perform in a display of school athletics.

More vaudeville acts followed inside the entertainment tent, including comedy juggler Edo Gambol and Blossom Wilson, known as “The Girl with the Saxophone and Songs.”

Next came the novelty acrobats DeComa and Onzo, the singing and dancing antics of Hogue and Hardy, and the Frazier Bagpipe Trio.

On the last day, there were exhibitions of professional diving and swimming on the beach

The committee decided to charge an admission of 25 cents for adults and 15 cents for kids, and when the fair ended and the receipts counted, the committee was very happy.

Mrs. Lavering’s “Canary Cottage” was a favorite with the attendees. It was decorated with palm fronds and other greenery to give it a South Seas look.

The best community display went to Newport Mesa, and George Hall of Fairview won the $5 prize offered by the First National Bank for the best display of deciduous fruits.

Charles Promenchenkel of Wintersburg exhibited his onions below a sign that read, “Eat more Spanish onions and have less Spanish flu.”

There may be something to that, because my mother maintained that she didn’t get the flu because people told her to eat a lot of onions.

The Huntington Beach Nurseries had an exhibit of over 350 dahlias that made its owner, Joseph Vavra, very proud.

D.W. McDannald was awarded a prize of $10 for his display of a U.S. flag made of lima beans grown in Orange County.

A $2 prize for the best sugar beets went to H.A. Gallienne, and W.T. Newland received the same amount for having the biggest squash.

May Jackson’s prize of a box of candy for the best cake baked with honey instead of sugar went to Mrs. H.B. Haskell of our town.

The City of Yorba Linda won a ribbon for having the best community exhibit of farm products.

There were so many more prizes and awards given out that it would fill the entire issue of this newspaper.

The attendance at the fair for the three days reached 12,000 people, a good number for that time, and the gate receipts totaled $1,348.

That flower vase prize offered by Carl Olson went to the Huntington Beach Nurseries for the best floral display, and Geneva Morehouse won a dollar for her loaf cake.

Maybe we will again host the Orange County Fair.

Until we do, we can be proud of having had this important and historic event right here in our own hometown.

* JERRY PERSON is a local historian and longtime Huntington Beach resident. If you have ideas for future columns, write him at P.O. Box 7182, Huntington Beach, CA 92615.

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