From the Lawrence Daily Journal-World for Oct. 2, 1915:

• “The day was ideal for the Vinland fair. Long before noon the groves were well filled with people and the roadway and side lots were filled with vehicles. At noon baskets were opened and the good dinners were enjoyed by everyone. Prof. Crabtree of Manhattan was the judge and he did not lose a minute from morning till night. In the agricultural exhibit he said the showing of corn was the best he had seen in the state and that it was extremely difficult to make a decision because of the excellence of so many exhibits…. The household department was full of interest for the ladies and even the men liked to hang around a bit. There were exhibits of cut flowers that would back California off the stage, the canned fruit would make the famous fifty-seven varieties look cheap and tawdry, and the fancy work shows that the women of the community find some time to do something besides the duties that are generally supposed to fall to the lot of a farmer’s wife. One of the prize winners in breadmaking was an 18 years old girl, and the prize butter was made by two young ladies whose mother died when they were but a few years old…. At 3 o’clock Fred Cutter made a count of the vehicles and there were 108 automobiles and 347 horse drawn vehicles, several of which were hayracks, used by a neighborhood gathering. As there were many coming and going during the afternoon it is probable that the attendance for the day would run somewhere between 2,500 and 3,000…. One of the best things in connection with the fair was the good social time that everyone seemed to enjoy. It was a great big picnic in which everyone came for a good time and the best of spirit prevailed.”
• “The work on the Cordley school house is being pushed as rapidly as possible and A. R. Young, the contractor, said today that he hoped to have it ready for occupancy by the middle of October. Considerable delay has been caused by the slowness with which the basement has dried out. It is possible the work there can not be completed until the furnace is installed and heat provided.”
• “A number of instances in which flower thieves have destroyed the blooms around private houses have been reported. Last night some fine porch boxes at a South Lawrence residence were completely stripped of blossoms.”