Huntington Beach Great Fair

This week we’ll continue our look back at what could be considered the birthplace of the Orange County Fair.

As we have learned, there were earlier Orange County fairs, but these were mainly small local affairs, whereas this one would encompass nearly the whole of Orange County.

This event had started out as the second annual Fall Fair, to be held at Main Street and Olive Avenue from Oct. 2 to 5, 1918. But as the displays grew in number, the fair committee officially renamed the event the Orange County Fair.

The fair would be held in four large tents and at several locations around town.As the big day approached, excitement stirred our citizens and committees finalized their displays, events and programs.

J.A. Armitage and Gladyse Bollon of the singing committee went searching for the music of “Over There” and “There’s a Long, Long Trail” for use by the singers in the community singing program.

The celebration began with a salute to Liberty and Newport Mesa Day.

The big war tank Liberty came into town and caused many a head to turn as it rolled along Main Street to its final stop at 17th Street.

A large delegation of our city officials and private citizens met the tank as it pulled beside the bandstand.

The tank was there to help sell liberty bonds, and Albert Onson of Huntington Beach Sheet Metal Works was the first to step up and purchase a bond in the name of his 2-year-old son, John Albert Onson.

The second bond went to Huntington Beach furniture store owner Carl Olson.

Throughout the day, patriotic citizens stepped up to buy liberty bonds, much as our citizens would do after World War II. During that first day, $41,200 worth of bonds were sold.

Accompanying the tank were vaudeville actress Kathleen Clifford, James Hogan and J.H. Galart of Los Angeles, and J. Lowenstein of Valparaiso, Ind.

Those purchasing bonds that first day could have them autographed by Clifford, and Huntington Beach City Atty. Alex P. Nelson and the city attorney from Orange spoke to the attendees.

Inside the main tent could be found some of the finest exhibits of farm products ever to be seen in Southern California. The town of Downey sent 25 of its citizens, headed by Downey’s Community Fair president, W.M. Booth, to inspect our event.

Inside the Biggs building on Main Street, the ladies of Orange County offered a huge display of fancy needlework to the delight of the fairgoers. A display of Fordson, Lambert, Trundaar, Bear Cat and Los Angeles Auto Tractors attracted a good many of our local farmers, who marveled at what these machines could do.

In another tent, Joseph Vavra of the Huntington Beach Nursery had a magnificent display of over 225 varieties of dahlias in bloom.

Another interesting sight at the fair was the goat exhibit, along with exhibits of hogs, rabbits and poultry.

Inside a tent erected next to the Princess Theatre on Main Street, a display of Junior Red Cross items was given by our local grammar school children.

Music for the first day was furnished by the military band from Fort McArthur, and Bertha Proctor’s library exhibit was an added feature to the year’s fair -- and a popular one too.

The next day was Peatland Day. It was to have begun with a parade of our county’s school children, but rain that morning postponed the parade until the afternoon.

This parade was headed by Harold Campbell, who was dressed as a sailor and followed by children dressed to represent the United States and its allies in World War I.

The Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce brought in a replica of Orange County’s harbor. This featured small boats sailing about the harbor and was of great interest to both old and young.

Because of the rain that morning, the community singers were moved into the Princess Theatre from the pavilion. The program included guest singers Ethel Smith and Amon Cain of Los Angeles.

Music for this program was furnished by the Naval Reserve Band of San Pedro.

The Barker Brothers exhibit of fireless cookers, sewing machines, vacuum cleaners and other household appliances run by electricity were a great hit with the ladies of our county.

At this exhibit, Eva Scott of Los Angeles and her ladies prepared and served countless ham sandwiches and hot coffee to the attendees, with the proceeds going to the Red Cross.

One of the unusual exhibits at the fair was a German helmet that came from Remi Nadeau of the 42nd Rainbow Division in France. It was sent to the fair by mail with a 12-cent stamp attached.

Next week we’ll wind up our look at the last two days of this historic event.

* 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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