These stories can also be heard Sunday mornings around 10 am on WILD 102’s “Look Back in Time” program. Each week’s radio story will be posted here on our website.
Weekly radio stories are researched, compiled, and read by Sheila Winstead, RCHS Board Member.
July 23, 2023
In the July 13, 1933 issue of Northern Minnesota Leader, a column appeared about the Roseau County Fair, which was upcoming 90 years ago. A heading said, “Very good program arranged for. Displays to equal those of other years.” I’ll read that article now.
The 1933 program of the Roseau County Fair has many new features. Horse racing, one race each day, will be one of the new attractions at the fair. The free act program consisting of eight exceptionally high grade acts will be a wonderful attraction each day.
The Yoshida Japs, composed of 3 acts, foot juggling, balancing on a high perch and acrobatic acts on a swinging trapeze.
Mrs. Henderson’s troupe of performing dogs will be a great attraction for the children.
Fred Reckles’ sensational 80-foot pole act will be the thrilling feature of the program.
De-Waldo Duo, one of the greatest bicycle acts will perform daily.
Henry Gordien, famous for his magic tricks is returning to our fair by request. He will also be master of ceremonies.
The 4-H club parade will be held on Thursday, the second day of the fair. The 4-H club Dress Style Revue will be on the platform in front of the grandstand Friday afternoon of the fair.
The four leading kittenball teams in the county league will play games beginning at 10 o’clock on the second and third days of the fair. Prizes given for the grand champion kittenball team as well as the team that wins the consolation game.
Lieutenant Governor Solberg will speak in front of the grandstand on Thursday afternoon. Another speaker will be engaged for Friday to address the fair crowd.
Johnson Brothers’ Quartette, state winners of the Farm Bureau singing contest will sing on each program. This act alone is worth the price of admission for those who appreciate music.
The fair management has tried to secure this year an even greater fireworks display than that of former years. This will come off Friday evening, the last night of the fair.
$2,000 worth of attractions are in store for those attending the fair.
The exhibits promise to be equal to former years.
The State Bureau of Mines and the State Department of Conservation will have exhibits in the Old Settlers’ building.
General admission to the fair this year is 35 cents, children under 12 free when accompanied by parents. Season tickets for the entire fair, $1.00.
Take at least one day off and bring the whole family and enjoy yourself. See the fine exhibits that Roseau county will display, take in the program, music and free acts.
Two weeks later in the Northern Minnesota Leader of July 27, 1933, another column appeared telling how the fair was going. Here’s that article.
The 1933 Roseau County Fair is in full swing. It opened yesterday.
Yesterday was taken up in entering exhibits and fixing up the fair grounds, giving them the final touches. The horse, cattle, sheep, hog and poultry departments show very fine entries.
In the livestock exhibits are some fine examples of what good breeding and care will do. Fred Gross and Henry Grindahl have entered some very fine Swiss cattle.
In the garden and field exhibits one is impressed by the showing made.
All in all, the fair gives us all a chance to view the skill that makes such an exceptional county.
Porter’s combined shows and rides on the midway furnish entertainment in the form of various riding devices and concessions.
Each day there are big free act programs.
This afternoon the lieutenant governor of Minnesota, K. K. Solberg, will deliver an address to the crowd at 2:30. There will be no speaker Friday afternoon as previously planned because no prominent man was available.
Kittenball games will be played this morning and Friday morning, and tonight and tomorrow night at 7:00 are the horse races.
Judging in all departments will take place tomorrow.
The style queens of the 4-H clubs in Roseau County will be chosen on Friday at the Fair from the following 4-H club style queens and attendants:
Warroad – Mildred Thompson, attended by Helen Singer and Clara Brandlie.
Roseau – Mary Hipsher, attended by Lorraine Lundquist.
Malung – Lillian Larson, attended by Evelyn Olson.
Falun – Frances Jirmacek
Pencer – Ellen Roseen, attended by Elsie Tofte
Wannaska –Evelyn Billberg
Haug – Thora Hegstad, attended by Ruth Christianson
Greenbush – Alice Melby
Spruce – Alice Sehlstrom
Lind – Helen Hagen
Style queens have not been chosen by Pinecreek, Kletzen, Strathcona, Badger, and Salol clubs, but will be chosen before Friday.
The fair will close Friday night with a giant fireworks display.
Television, the latest discovery in the radio and electrical worlds, will be shown on the midway of the Roseau County Fair this year, it has been announced by officials of the fair.
Residents of Roseau county will have the opportunity of being some of the first people in the United States to view the new scientific discovery that transmits faces as well as voices through the air.
The television set to be brought to the fair was completed last month in Television Laboratories at Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the result of three years of electrical and radio experimental work on the part of Mr. Henry Gordien, scientist and former associate of the late Dr. Steinmetz, internationally known electrical wizard.
Mr. Gordien was associated with Dr. Steinmetz 20 years ago in his laboratories in New York. Since that time, the builder of the television set to appear here has been carrying on electrical and radio wave experiments in all parts of the world. Three years ago he saw the need of convincing people that television is the next step in radio improvement and he began construction of his demonstration set in Television Laboratories in Minneapolis.
After an expenditure of more than $6,000 he completed what is believed to be the most complete television set in America today. Mr. Gordien will appear at the Roseau County Fair with the television set to demonstrate its possibilities in the scientific world of tomorrow.
The complete set is composed of photo-electric tubes that pick up the performance in front of the sensing apparatus and send it out on the air by means of a scanning lense of more than 60 lenses and short wave coils, and a receiving set that takes the light and sound waves from the air and reproduces the performance by means of another 60-L scanning disk and a highly sensitive reproduction plate.
Mr. Gordien was to have completed his set for showing at the Century of Progress, but additional experiments in light and color made it impossible for him to have it completed in time for showing there. The set that was put in the hall of science in its place is being viewed by thousands of enthusiastic visitors to Chicago, but is not as complete as the set that will appear here as to the color reproductions.
“My national tour under a tent to show television is being made to open the minds of the people as to television possibilities,” Mr. Gordien said. “But at this time I do not feel it advisable to disclose my discoveries in color reproduction. At the completion of my tour I will disclose to the world of science how it is possible for me to send pictures of moving objects over the air in clear detail and in natural colors.”
Mr. Gordien has given his permission to talented local performers to sing, play instruments or perform before the sending set and to their friends to see them as they appear on the receiving set. The Television tent will be the feature of the midway at the Roseau County fair.
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