My mother told me this first part and I have only a year as a date. It was 1928…
Gramma Hart, Ella (Wyman) Hart, had a booth under the grandstand where she sold Hot dogs, Hamburgs, soda, and I don't know what else. I know my mom helped her in the stand from set-up till carry it all home, that's why I know the year was 1928. Mom [Esther (Hart) Ripley] told me she was very pregnant with me that year. I was born in Oct.
I have no idea how many years Gramma ran the booth, quite a few, I believe. She had to give it up because her feet bothered her too much to stand there all day. It was located under the grandstand, as I said, in the south west corner of the building. There was one more small booth between Gramma's booth and the corner booth on the north west corner. The middle booth was rarely ever occupied, it was small and didn't seem to be a good location for anything. As far back as I can remember, the north west booth was also a hot dog, hamburger place run by a short Italian older man, who may have remembered Gramma Hart. His booth always smelled better than mom and Uncle Hubert's booth because he always sautéed green peppers in with his onions, whereas Mom and Uncle Hubert only sautéed onions. The Italian man came from the valley, Westfield, maybe, or the Springfield area more likely. He would yell out, "Get your hot, greasy, hamburgs here." in an old country pronunciation. He also sold cellophane wrapped brick shaped popcorn, each 1/3 of the brick was a different color, red, white and blue.
I think mom told me that a year or two after I was born, Gramma Hart turned the business over to Mom and Uncle Hubert Hart, having the same booth until the grandstand was torn down. They then rented a tent and continued the business through the war years.
I remember mom up into the wee hours of the morning the day before the fair opened paring apples and making about 20, or 25 apple pies, and a couple of dozen minced meat pies. Every morning the fair was open, she was up real early making doughnuts and delivering them to the stand in time for the cattlemen to have them for their breakfast, which I assume came after they had gotten up and tended to their oxen and draft horses. Mom used a wood burning kitchen stove that gave off a lot of heat during the baking of all those pies and donuts.
My dad [David Ripley] worked for his dad [Clifford Ripley] at the store on the corner of Russell Road and Main Street, leased from Warren Bodurtha. Pop supplied the booth with all the food products, Hot Dogs, Hamburg, rolls, relishes, onions, and whatever else they needed. They bought their soda from, I think it was Knight's soft drinks in Westfield. Knights furnished the cooler that required large blocks of ice with added water for cooling the soda. Ice was delivered to them by Ralph Hayden. Pop also supplied them with strong store cheese to go with the pies.
I remember the soda flavors being, Orange, creme, sarsaparilla, birch beer, pale dry ginger ale, and golden ginger ale. Coca Cola was just coming out at that time and sold by other places on the grounds. Mom wouldn't let Stanley or me buy a coke because it had dope in it.
When the business was under the grandstand, it could be locked up without having anyone stay there overnight to prevent a break-in. When they rented the tent, there was no way of making it theft proof, so they hired Edward Cady and a buddy of his to stay overnight sleeping in the tent. I never heard of any thefts.
I remember when hot dogs were ten cents, hamburgs were 25 cents. Soda was a nickel. Pie with cheese may have been 15 or 20 cents. Coffee, 10 cents, donuts may have been a nickel.
After the fair was over, Uncle Hubert would come to our house and he and mom would sit at the dining room table and figure all expenses, and subtract it from the money taken in, and divided the profit equally between the two of them. I want to think I remember one year they each ended up with $75. Another year I know they ended up with $100 each. I also know Mom put her money into a Christmas Club at the bank and that's what she used for Christmas presents for Stanley and me, and perhaps for her mother and father, as well as her in-laws.
I loved that fair. Looked forward to it every year.
Gramma Hart, Ella (Wyman) Hart, had a booth under the grandstand where she sold Hot dogs, Hamburgs, soda, and I don't know what else. I know my mom helped her in the stand from set-up till carry it all home, that's why I know the year was 1928. Mom [Esther (Hart) Ripley] told me she was very pregnant with me that year. I was born in Oct.
I have no idea how many years Gramma ran the booth, quite a few, I believe. She had to give it up because her feet bothered her too much to stand there all day. It was located under the grandstand, as I said, in the south west corner of the building. There was one more small booth between Gramma's booth and the corner booth on the north west corner. The middle booth was rarely ever occupied, it was small and didn't seem to be a good location for anything. As far back as I can remember, the north west booth was also a hot dog, hamburger place run by a short Italian older man, who may have remembered Gramma Hart. His booth always smelled better than mom and Uncle Hubert's booth because he always sautéed green peppers in with his onions, whereas Mom and Uncle Hubert only sautéed onions. The Italian man came from the valley, Westfield, maybe, or the Springfield area more likely. He would yell out, "Get your hot, greasy, hamburgs here." in an old country pronunciation. He also sold cellophane wrapped brick shaped popcorn, each 1/3 of the brick was a different color, red, white and blue.
I think mom told me that a year or two after I was born, Gramma Hart turned the business over to Mom and Uncle Hubert Hart, having the same booth until the grandstand was torn down. They then rented a tent and continued the business through the war years.
I remember mom up into the wee hours of the morning the day before the fair opened paring apples and making about 20, or 25 apple pies, and a couple of dozen minced meat pies. Every morning the fair was open, she was up real early making doughnuts and delivering them to the stand in time for the cattlemen to have them for their breakfast, which I assume came after they had gotten up and tended to their oxen and draft horses. Mom used a wood burning kitchen stove that gave off a lot of heat during the baking of all those pies and donuts.
My dad [David Ripley] worked for his dad [Clifford Ripley] at the store on the corner of Russell Road and Main Street, leased from Warren Bodurtha. Pop supplied the booth with all the food products, Hot Dogs, Hamburg, rolls, relishes, onions, and whatever else they needed. They bought their soda from, I think it was Knight's soft drinks in Westfield. Knights furnished the cooler that required large blocks of ice with added water for cooling the soda. Ice was delivered to them by Ralph Hayden. Pop also supplied them with strong store cheese to go with the pies.
I remember the soda flavors being, Orange, creme, sarsaparilla, birch beer, pale dry ginger ale, and golden ginger ale. Coca Cola was just coming out at that time and sold by other places on the grounds. Mom wouldn't let Stanley or me buy a coke because it had dope in it.
When the business was under the grandstand, it could be locked up without having anyone stay there overnight to prevent a break-in. When they rented the tent, there was no way of making it theft proof, so they hired Edward Cady and a buddy of his to stay overnight sleeping in the tent. I never heard of any thefts.
I remember when hot dogs were ten cents, hamburgs were 25 cents. Soda was a nickel. Pie with cheese may have been 15 or 20 cents. Coffee, 10 cents, donuts may have been a nickel.
After the fair was over, Uncle Hubert would come to our house and he and mom would sit at the dining room table and figure all expenses, and subtract it from the money taken in, and divided the profit equally between the two of them. I want to think I remember one year they each ended up with $75. Another year I know they ended up with $100 each. I also know Mom put her money into a Christmas Club at the bank and that's what she used for Christmas presents for Stanley and me, and perhaps for her mother and father, as well as her in-laws.
I loved that fair. Looked forward to it every year.