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
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i~i DILLSBURG, PA 17019
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Proud To Have Participated In The
Construction At The New
PA Farm Show Complex
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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!
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VISUAL DISPLAY BOARDS
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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
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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
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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)