Advertising the Fair
- ahsvolunteer20
- Oct 23
- 4 min read
Recently we researched the history of the Agricultural Fair that was held in Acton between 1917 and 1941. Acton’s fair was not the only one in the area, and it was relatively new. Its organizers came up with many novel ideas to attract visitors, but the word had to be spread. Our Society's collections include a number of items that were used for that purpose.
Handbills and similar small posters had long been used for advertising and were an obvious way to attract local attention.
Promotional items were given out to spread the word of the fair. A commonly-used item at the time was blotter paper, kept on people’s desks to absorb excess ink from fountain pens and prevent smearing. Blotters were used to advertise products, politicians, and in this case, the Acton Fair. To make the item even more useful (and hopefully keep it on people’s desks longer), a ruler was sometimes printed along the top. The Society is lucky to have some unused blotter ads.
The Enterprise announced on August 5, 1931 that new blotters advertising the Acton Fair were available, representing “twelve different events in the history of our country.” Now we know why a 1931 blotter featured the christening of George Washington.
Newspaper ads were also used to spread word of the fair. Over time, fair management worked with the local newspaper and eventually got the Enterprise to publish an Acton Fair supplement. Ads from fair sponsors and participants benefited both the paper and the fair. This no doubt helped to get the newspaper to feature prominently the imminent start of the Acton Fair, preferably as front-page news,
From the newspaper, we learned of an advertising medium that would have been relatively new in the late 1920s. On September 2, 1928, Acton Agricultural Association President Clarence Goward published “An Appreciation Thank-U-All” to the members of the Association and townspeople for helping to advertise the fair by putting Acton Fair “bumper signs” on their automobiles. These signs would have been printed on some type of cardstock and attached to the bumper with string or wire. The advantage was that the cars would carry word of the fair around and out of town. The disadvantage was that the signs would not last long. (Probably for that reason, we do not have any examples in our collection.)
As the 1930s progressed, "bumper signs" continued to advertise the Acton Fair. The Enterprise would mention that they were ready for distribution and could be obtained from members of the committee. It was a point of pride to spot them locally and to think of them carrying word of the fair farther afield. On August 19, 1931, the Enterprise announced that the bumper signs were making their way through New England and as far away as California.
On July 22, 1937, the Enterprise announced that the West Concord Press had been hired by the Acton Agricultural Society to handle all of the publicity and printing for the Acton Fair except for the program booklets. This included “newspaper advertising and news stories, posters, bumper cards, mailing pieces, handbills, directional signs and a bally-hoo wagon.” Presumably, this would have been a literal wagon or an automobile decorated with posters, perhaps supplemented by someone loudly drawing attention to it. Creating a “bally-hoo” had long been a strategy used by circuses, theaters, and other shows to draw in crowds.
A follow-up report on Sept. 15, 1937 showed the town made good use of the fair's printing budget: “Bumper cards may be seen traveling about town, posters are displayed in many windows. … large roadside signs and banners are appearing on every corner. If preparation and advance publicity mean anything the Fair should be the best that the Acton Agricultural Association ever offered.”
The work of promoting the fair was not only about getting the word out far and wide. It started at home, getting townspeople motivated to put their time and energy into making the fair a success, year after year. That job would have started with the Acton Agricultural Association president. The seemingly indefatigable Clarence Goward used creativity and two pages of persuasion in the spring of 1932 to spur the 380 members of the Association to action. (Kudos to the unnamed “CH” who typed his letter “To the Point.”)
The biggest investment in advertising the Acton Fair, and the one that reflected most completely the Committee’s hard work, would have been the premium books with their lists of prizes, promised entertainments, and numerous ads. If all of the Committee’s advertising and creative ideas were not enough to draw people in, perhaps a featured celebrity photo might help. The 1932 book featured Miss Dew Drop Goward to entice people to come to the Dog Show. Who could resist that face?
Sources:
“Acton Fair,” (ad) Concord Enterprise, Aug. 29, 1923, p. 1
“Acton Fair Comes Friday and Saturday,” Concord Enterprise, Sept. 16, 1925, p. 1.
“Exhibits Ready at Acton Fair,” Concord Enterprise, Sept. 15, 1926, p. 1.
“New Exhibits at Acton Fair This Year, Concord Enterprise, Sept. 14, 1926, p. 1
“Special Acton Fair Supplement, Concord Enterprise, Sept. 14, 1927, p. 9-12.
“An Appreciation Thank-U-All,” Weekly Enterprise, Sept. 26 1928, p. 11.
“Acton Fair Notes,” Aug. 5, 1931, p. 2.
“ … Acton Agricultural Fair,” Concord Enterprise, Aug. 19, 1931, p. 1.
“15th annual Acton Fair Sept. 18 and 19,” Acton Enterprise, Sept. 16, 1931, p. 1.
Acton news, Concord Enterprise, Aug. 22, 1934, p. 2.
“Acton Fair Makes Plans,” Concord Enterprise, July 22, 1937, p. 5
“All Roads will Lead to Acton Fair,” Acton Enterprise, Sept. 15, 1937, p. 1
“County Fair Will Open on September 15,”, Concord Enterprise, Aug. 31, 1938, p. 4.
