More on the 1937 York Fair
In a recent post I shared some of Gazette and Daily coverage of the October 1937 York Fair. There was a lot going on that year. For one thing, York countians took their gardens and orchards very seriously. The Gazette reported that there were 350 boxes, 50 bushel baskets and 1,500 plates of apples on display, the biggest turnout ever, from growers such as Anderson Fruit farms, Stewartstown; John Zeigler, York; H.L. Myers, Dover RD3; Everhart’s and Hoffmaster’s. The apples were supplemented by other fruit entries, including 200 plates of grapes alone, 50 plates of pears, and 100 plates each of peaches, plums and miscellaneous small fruit.
The articles states that Roy Frederick, Horticultural Hall superintendent had problems finding places to display it all. There was a whole large table of tomatoes and another for greens, such as endive, kale, cabbage and celery. A new category was “vegetable curiosities,” the most striking of which was a pig-shaped sweet potato, joining vegetable ducks, birds and turtles.
The headline attraction that Saturday was “Miss Mary Wiggins and her Hollywood Demons,” an automobile stunt team. The troupe manager, J. Ward Beam, “has been swamped with applicants from young men who want to perform the stunt of driving a car 40 miles per hour and crashing head on with another car,” leading him to the conclusion that it was very evident the York area had “many daredevils or would-be-daredevils among its young men.” Some offered to perform free, while others asked for $5 to $5,000.
The paper published the names and addresses of the applicants, one of which would be chosen to perform the act. The list is below. Know anyone? Maybe great-grandpa had an adventurous streak.Herbert Smith, East Prospect Street, York; Francis Schutt, 536 South George Street; Charles Heiss, York; Francis E. Grimm, 620 West College Avenue; Floyd Buchanan, 550 East Spangler Street; Clair Burke, Red Lion; W.A. Diehl, 1230 Market Street; Thurlow Gosnell, 802 Wayne Avenue; John Delhamer, 346 Smyser Street; Ray Epphard, York R.S.2; Sterling Sullivan, York R.D. 7; Norman Gatewood, 729 East King Street; Charles Hula, YMCA, York; William McFarland, Jr. 219 West King Street; Sterling E. Savits, 210 South Duke Street and Preston L. Smith, 9 East High Street, Windsor.
This link will take you to my many previous York Fair posts.
