So Corinth
was in the midst of a street fair.
On every vacant lot in the down town section were pens, and stalls, and
cages, wherein grunted, squealed, neighed, bellowed, bleated, cackled
and crowed, exhibits from the neighboring farms. In the town hall or
opera house (it was both) there were long tables covered with almost
everything that grows on a farm, or is canned, baked, preserved, pickled
or stitched by farmers' wives. The "Art Exhibit," product mainly of
Corinth, had its place on the stage. Upon either side of the main street
were booths containing the exhibits of the local merchants; farm
machinery, buggies, wagons, harness and the like being most conspicuous.
The chief distinction between the town and country exhibits were that
the farmer displayed his goods to be looked at, the merchant his to be
sold. It was the merchants who promoted the fair.
In a vacant store room the Memorial Church was holding its annual bazaar.
On different corners other churches were serving chicken dinners, or ice
cream, or in sundry ways were actively engaged for the conversion of the
erring farmer's cash to the coffers of the village sanctuaries. In this
way the promoters of the fair were encouraged by the churches. From every
window, door, arch, pole, post, corner, gable, peak, cupola--fluttered,
streamed and waved, decorations--banners mostly, bearing advertisements
of the enterprising merchants and of the equally enterprising churches.
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