40 years ago: Rainy windstorm brings early end to Fair’s final night

From the Lawrence Daily Journal-World for Aug. 13, 1973:

  • The conclusion of the Douglas County Fair was marred by strong winds and heavy rains that moved into the area on the final night. A crowd of about 2,000 had begun arriving at the fairgrounds at about 6:30 p.m. for the evening entertainment of “old-time” musical groups and the 4-H Style Revue and Awards Program. All went well up to that point, with several youngsters from across the county winning honors for their outstanding participation in the fair. However, as the fiddlers returned to the stage for a traditional contest, which was slated to be the final event of the evening, Mother Nature proved to have other ideas: “A strong, threatening wind blew across the fairgrounds, scattering the contest spectators to the parking lot.” Rain then moved in and the contest was cut short with no winners named. The rain continued through the remainder of the weekend, swelling streams in the northeast corner of the state.
  • Four barges loaded with stone had broken away from their moorings on the Missouri River on a recent Sunday. The Coast Guard office in Leavenworth said that the barges had broken away from moorings near a rock quarry at White Cloud, Kansas, about 30 miles upriver from St. Joseph. The river had been rising rapidly because of heavy rainfall upstream and heavy debris was reported on the river. The barges, which belonged to a Nebraska construction company, had been caught and moored again before causing or suffering any damage.