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Mail Tribune 100, Sept. 14, 1922 By Alissa Corman Sep 14, 2022 12:00 AM A A News from 100 years ago The following news items were drawn from the archives of the Mail Tribune 100 years ago Sept. 14, 1922 2,000 PEOPLE ATTEND OPENING OF FAIR, RACE PROGRAM GOOD; MEDFORD DAY SEES BIG CROWD A crowd of people from northern California and southern Oregon attended the Jackson County fair yesterday afternoon and enjoyed the interesting and varied program. It is estimated that the crowd numbered between 2,500 and 3,000. Following the races the crowd remained to inspect the exhibits, while others left for home only to return in the evening to attend the dance and carnival in addition to the numerous sideshows. It is expected that the number of persons in attendance will be found to be considerable larger than yesterday during the last three days of the fair and a record breaking crowd is expected for Sunday. The list of prize winners in the various exhibit departments will be announced at the end of the fair when prizes in all departments will have been awarded. Yesterday afternoon’s program started with a bang when the D. O. K. K. band under the leadership of Wilson Waite struck up a lively tune and the horses for the quarter mile running race were brought on the track. ... Following the three horse races a ten-minute stunt exhibition was given by Bill McKinney, who came up yesterday from Sacramento with a Curtis, J. N. 4. He is to give daily exhibitions at the fair. McKinney was formerly a resident of Medford. The plane did numerous graceful stunts including the loop, several wing-overs and a spinning nose dive just before landing. Motorcycle polo, which is really a game of soccer, with a ball similar to a soccer ball, was the feature of the afternoon, eight riders from Eugene participating, four on a team. The players dashed here and there on the sputtering and popping machines, directing swift kicks at the ball as they passed it. The contest was featured by much skidding, the riders cutting fancy curves on the track similar to those made by an ice skater, but accompanied by a considerable larger amount of dust. ... A motorcycle race for novices was the next number on the program and was participated in by four entires ... The event was for nine laps of the one-and-a-quarter-mile track for a purse of $150. ... The last event of the afternoon was a motorcycle race for professionals ... A large part of the crowd remained to watch the tryouts of the racing cars which are to appear during the remainder of the week. — Alissa Corman; [email protected]