MOUNTAIN VIEW FREE FAIR
Established 1915
In the August 9, 1915 Town Trustee’s meeting the motion was made, seconded and passed that the city would grant free use of the city park to the Free Fair Committee to hold fairs. The Fair would be an annual event until 1934 when the Old Settler’s Picnic was substituted for it. Headlines in the Augutst 2, 1934 Mountain View Times were “5,000 Expected to Attend Picnic.” In the August 8, 1935 edition, they were, Picnic Crowd Exceeds 11,000”.
In the early 1950’s a departure was made from the way the carnival was procured for the Fair. After a bad situation in which some of the locals felt they were cheated out of their money, the city decided to own and operate their own carnival, and set out to purchase their own rides. A Ferris Wheel was found at Craterville Park, which was closing, and was purchased for the grand sum of $15.00. Of course though, it had to be torn down, moved, re-erected and refurbished so that it could operated safely. A Merry-Go-Round was located at Fort Worth and moved to the city park and made operational. A few years later a SCAT ride was purchased and moved here also. All these, plus other rides and games are operated late each summer by the business people of the town and interested people of the community.
….excerpted from “Mountain View, 1989-199, The First 100 Years
