E4-Lanqaster Farming, Saturday, January 4,2003 Bigger, Better Farm Show Complex (Continued from Page E 3) Secretary French and Farm Show commissioners. Twenty nine statewide farm and allied organizations conducted meet ings. Attendance topped the half million mark for the first time. During the week, according to Cresswell’s interpretation of newspaper accounts, more than 100,000 autos were parked in the general area. The Large Arena was dedi cated in 1939, costing the state $1.25 million. The Large Arena added 75,000 square feet of floor space to the complex. But World War II lurked on the horizon. The 1942 Farm Show was the last exhibition until 1947. In March 1942, a program made the main building the location of a training area for civilian repair and assembly of airplane motors. After World War 11, in 1946 the building was returned to the commission, including a steel warehouse added by the War De partment (now housing beef cat tle and horses during Farm Show). In 1947, after the war, people were anxious to return to Farm Show. In 1947, despite “Farm Show weather,” hotels were Officials Honor Contractors (Continued from Page El) Hayes, Grumbine, and Merle Ryan, deputy secretary of Public Works, worked closely with the contractors in planning, design ing, and building the facility. Charlie Smith of Tennessee based Bullock, Smith & Partners Inc., one of two architectural firms that helped design the com plex, called it the premier facility of its kind on the continent. “This is the best, state-of-the art ag expo facility in North America,” he said. Bullock, Smith & Partners Inc. specializes in designing expo cen ters, with 30 such projects to its credit around the world. Smith said one of the most im pressive aspects of the new Farm Show exposition hall is the 120-foot span of the steel girders supporting the roof. In large buildings, girders usually don’t reach more than about half that length. The advantage of this H/e Mate Our Faiwlßg Industry V 3 BARLO CIRCLE y\ P.O. BOX 271 i~i DILLSBURG, PA 17019 ==TV PHONE (717) 432-9756 &i-£-GTX>/C. fax (717) 432-9758 /A*3. www.leerelectric.com Proud To Have Participated In The Construction At The New PA Farm Show Complex • r.i i ♦.» ».» <i» » t A •*** * *.*J/.**.• In April 1930, Gov. Fisher lays the cornerstone for the new 10- acre Farm Show Building. The building was dedicated at the 1931 Farm Show. Photo courtesy Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. booked solid and an estimated 545,000 people attended. Visitors from around the globe began to flock to the fair, accord- wide span, Smith said, is that it climates the need for many sup port columns throughout the cen ter of the hall, resulting in a more open and spacious venue. The easy flow of animals and people between different areas in the new Farm Show Complex was one of the major goals of the construction, according to anoth er chief architect working on the project. Bradley Lambertsen of Hillier architectural firm, Philadelphia, said it was a big challenge getting about a million square feet of ex hibition space under roof, includ ing the new 172,000 square-foot exhibition hall, and joining all the different spaces. “Once you have all these new pieces, how do you connect them?” he said. That question has been an swered in the new, completed complex itself. Lambertsen said the especially challenging task of ing to Cresswell. In 1948, a log sawing contest was started, and in 1947-1948, the appearance of the Pennsylvania Potato Blossom Queen paved the way for other Pennsylvania commodity repre sentatives through the years. In 1951, the Farm Show con ducted a gala in observance of the 100th anniversary of the first state fair, along with anniversa ries of the Farm Show (35th) and the 20th anniversary of the Farm Show Building dedication. The Farm Show continued to grow and add events, including safe driving of farm tractors, sheep shearing, horse pulls, and others. The Farm Show continued to grow in number and variety of events. In a taste of things to come, in 1960, meetings of 35 farm organizations, noted Cres swell, emphasized “consumer de mand.” Attendance the following year: 645,000. Clearly, people loved the Farm Show. In 1962, land grand colleges and universities saluted the show. In 1964, Gov. Scranton noted that 43 percent of employed peo ple in the state depended on agri business for all or part of their in come. By the way: the “heaviest” designing transition areas that allow livestock to move indepen dently of people has been accom plished in the finished facility. Lambertsen said another major challenge was making sure all of the approx! SSSSSSNSSSSSSSSNSSSSNSN\ VISUAL DISPLAY BOARDS S DISPLAY CASES S s XV. MONITOR BRACKETS S SIGNS & LETTERS S PROJECTION SCREENS S S ROLLING DOORS & GRILLES S DOCK LEVELERS & BUMPERS S OPERABLE WALLS S V ACCORDION PARTITIONS s S GYMNASIUM EQUIPMENT s s s s Build C 69 Inc.s S Engin Services S $ 5 S 77 WILSON AVENUE S C P.O. BOX 433 C V ELIZABETHTOWN, PA 17022 S S (717) 367-0322 PHONE N «S (717) 944-2042 PHONE s N (717) 367-8210 FAX S ssssssssssssssssssssssss mately 1,000 exhibitor spaces were brought up to a “point of sale opera- tion.” That means all ex- hibitor areas have the cap ability to run cash registers and credit card ma chines. M>IMMM»*t«i*tMM«MI••(mI i ( . » t < U U I T J ( I t . o t f I t M t SECTIONAL MAP OF HAMUSBURC SHOWING LOCATION OF SHOW BUILDINGS AND MEETING PLACES— IMS I Ktrrkkur* Dsco Co. Koto-Mart IMa • Keftdcsvmu ■•lltoosi (•duMtiongl MhtblUi II SUle Chuator of CoirmarM (S*lm Show) « Cktotnnt Str#*l M«rk«t H«m 12 Ponn Harrii Trust C»in»a*r X. KviWr BuiMln* <Dmlry Cattle! 7 Chestnut Slnet Au4itarlum anil Hall IS EUu Haata _ 3 Eaianan Srantincham BMf (Fruit. en* I- ThIN aai Market Streeto. 14 Fthrmtock Mall eon potatoes and other crepe) * Penn Herrle Hotel It Toffee HutMfng HarrleVlKW Cbaoiber ut 4 Motor Dealers Building Id Stale Capitol—Sooth OlSre UuikUn* Comawrea This map details the locations of the various events from the Farm Show in 1925. Reproduced from “The First Fifty Years of the Pennsylvania Farm Show,” 1966. Farm Show snowfall up to then fell at the show, from the opening day through Monday, when 18 inches covered the ground, clos ing most highways and stranding many workers. (This was to be eclipsed at the same time in January 1996 when more than 30 inches of snow fell, literally stopping the Pennsylva nia Farm Show for the first time in its history, stranding people and literally shutting down the state.) At the 1964 show, a record price of $4,940.80 ($5.12 a pound) was paid for grand cham pion 4-H beef animal exhibited by William Rishel, 19, son of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Rishel, York. When bidding stalled at $4 a pound, Cresswell noted, Mary Scranton, the governor’s wife, en tered the show ring to help Ris hel. The crowd cheered when the final bid was a dollar a pound more than the previous year. The 1965 Farm Show theme: agribusiness. By that time, 610,000 people attended and Sam Hayes, state secre tary of agriculture, left, and Gov. Mark Schweiker turn up the dirt at groundbreak ing for the 2003 Farm Show Complex additions and im provements. $63,683 was paid in premiums, according to the Cresswell book. (Turn to Page E 34)
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers