The county fair in Huntington

Let’s take a look back at an event that has been around for almost as long as Orange County itself.

We will be looking at the Orange County Fair and what it was like to be able to attend it.

I have a friend, Karen Topolewski, who hasn’t missed a chance to attend this fair over the years and has always come home with some wonderful memories.

Prior to World War I, the fair was staged at Santa Ana, and through the 1920s to after World War II, it was the showplace of our county’s agricultural and horticultural prides and joys.

In 1949 the fair moved to its present location on the site of the old Santa Ana Army Air base in Costa Mesa.

But there was a time just after World War I ended that it was held in Huntington Beach, and that is what we are interested in here.

Since a fair must be held at some place, and since the people of Huntington Beach were willing to risk the financial burden and the vast amount of hard work necessary to stage this event, it is a credit to those early townspeople of ours who made this fair part of our glorious history.

The three-day fair was held here on Oct. 2, 3 and 4, 1919, in three large tents erected at the corner of Main Street and Olive Avenue, the same spot the fair was held the prior year.

The three tents, two round ones 100 feet in diameter and a 140-foot rectangular one, cost the city $550 to rent.

Exhibits of agriculture and horticulture goods were displayed in one circular tent, and in the rectangular tent would be a display of farm machinery.

The other round tent would hold the entertainment provided for the general public.

A special feature of this year’s fair was a baby show put on by Dr. Maude Wilde of the Mothers’ Educational Center of Southern California.

One of the ways that our town went about advertising this event was a parade of motorcars.

On Sept. 24, 1919, 11 cars started out from Huntington Beach and traveled to every major city in Orange County and into the small farm communities of Balboa, Delhi, Harper, El Modena, Olive, Olinda and Talbert.

Music during this parade of horseless carriages was supplied by Pop Endicott and his junior band.

Tom Talbert drove the lead car, a beautifully decorated Dodge owned by Dr. R.H. Chapin.

Judge Charles Warner and F.H. McElfresh had tire problems along the way, and Mrs. H.L. Heffner had her Cadillac break down in Fullerton.

During this parade, 64 people participated, and as they entered a town would give out a yell: “It’s a bear, It’s a bear, the Orange County Fair, Huntington, Huntington, Come on over there.”

As the start of the fair grew closer, many in town felt a sense of excitement in the air.

A wooden welcome arch was erected at the entrance to our pier.

This arch had been originally located at the Orange County Park (Irvine Park) and was brought to town by City Marshal E.E. French, A.W. Morehouse, J.H. Lawrence and B.F. Lindsey.

Many local merchants donated money or special prizes for the winners in the various exhibits and displays.

A prize of $25 was offered by the Fair Association for the best community exhibit of farm products and a $15 prize for the best individual exhibit of farm goods.

Our pioneer shoe man, B.T. Mollica, offered a pair of ladies weekend Keds shoes as a second prize in the best individual display of farm products.

McElfresh Mercantile offered a pair of ladies silk hose for the best canned bartlett pears.

Furniture store owner Carl Olson offered a flower vase for the best floral display, and the First National Bank offered a $5 cash prize for the best deciduous fruit display.

Adair Grocery offered a prize of a 49-pound bag of Crown flour for the best loaf of bread made with Crown flour.

A box of candy was the prize offered by Jackson’s Candy Shop for the best cake made with honey instead of sugar.

A bottle of fine toilet water from Butcher’s Pharmacy was the prize for the best display of canned fruits.

Mrs. M.J. English offered to give a dollar in cash for the best white or yellow loaf cake, but insisted she get to keep the cake afterward.

A $5 cash prize for the largest pumpkin was offered by D.W. McDannald, who also insisted he would keep the pumpkin after the award was given.

By today’s standards these prizes may not seem like very much, but in those days it meant a little extra money for a local farm family.

The county fair was meant to bring people together, and it gave many a hardworking family a chance to have a day of fun.

Remember that Orange County at the time was mostly agricultural, and farm work was backbreaking from sunup to sundown, both in the kitchen and in the fields.

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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.

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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