Shelby Shopper Shelby NC
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704-484-1047 www.shelbyinfo.com Our 40th Year • Issue No. 39 • September 28, 2023 "In GOD We Trust" 3-pc. Chicken Strip Meal Meal Includes dessert! OR OR CHOOSE CHOOSE Our Original Cheeseburger Meal Meal We Appreciate Your Business and We Are Here to Serve You. THANK THANK YOU! YOU! MON.-SAT. 10am-10pm • SUNDAY 11am-10pm DQ.COM DQ.COM 814 S. DEKALB ST. • SHELBY, NC 704-482-6681 704-482-6681 Snickerdoodle Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough Snickerdoodle cookie dough with cinnamon sugar Blizzard of the Month It's Back! EARLY BIRD TICKETS UNTIL SEPT. 27TH FREE SHOWS WITH ADMISSION Cleveland Co. Fair celebrates almost a century of food, fun, and good times! by MICHAEL E. POWELL CF Media michael@cfmedia.info According to information on the American Folklife Cen- ter's 'Local Legacies' web site (https://memory.loc.gov/ diglib/legacies/loc.afc.afc- legacies.200003238/), the Cleveland County Fair began as, "…the brainchild of the Shelby Kiwanis Club in 1924," and "…has grown every year since then in size, number of activities, and attendance." The Fair's official info states the Fair was started in 1924. That puts this long-running, fun-filled local event at almost a century old and counting! This year, the eleven days of entertainment starts Thursday, Sept. 28, and runs through to Sunday, Oct. 8. The information – originally submitted to the web site by Rep. Sue Myrick, (9th Dis- trict), continued, by noting, "… Dr. J.S. Dorton managed the fair through its 38th year until his death in 1961. Through the Fair, 'Doc' encouraged the breeding of purebred cattle and swine. He felt the need for improving seed crops as well, and saw a future in raising a better staple cotton and more cotton per acre. When the WPA-constructed two-story rock exhibit build- ing and grandstand burned on Christmas Eve 1951, Doc immediately planned a new grandstand." With a great history driving it on, the earliest fairs brought the Rockettes straight from New York City to the county fair-grounds, with the ladies staying in local homes. It was noted in some of the fair's earlier history, that "… during the early years, ev- erybody went to the fair early and stayed 'til closing time," or 10 p.m., a night ended by the "dazzling fireworks." As the age of television grew, fairgo- ers became harder to please, so diversity in entertainment wound up being the answer. In the 1950s, grandstand shows featured such crowd-pleasers as demolition derbies, stock car races, Indianapolis Speed- w a y - s t y l e racing, har- ness racing, rodeos and variety shows, all of which, it was said, "appealed to the popular tastes." R e p . Myrick's words further stated (on the web s i t e ) , " T h e Cleveland County Fair is a showcase of Americana. True to its roots, it sports carnival rides, a grandstand, a live- stock barn and exhibits in ag- riculture, education, industry, art, and history. Having grown from a five-day event in 1924 to a 10-day show today, the 1990s saw a record-break- ing attendance of almost 185,000." As per its advertising and hype, it stands today, "As one of the largest county fairs in See FAIR Page 6 A Dean Lutz aerial photo of the Cleveland County Fair from 2021. (photos provided/Cleaveland County Fair Facebook) What's a county Fair without some good, old-fashioned ice cream, especially when it its on a cone? One of the many food vendors booths at the Cleveland County Fair. Getting ready for a little action on one of the rides as everyone waits for it to start.