“Mr. Fair’s service spans four decades of change” from the November 11, 1971 Door County Advocate
JOHN MILES, Mr. Door county Fair, was honored at Andre’s Tuesday noon on the occasion of his retirement. From left new secretary Bill Tong with a sketch of a marker that will be placed in the fair park; Miles, with a DeGraff replica of himself presented by Amvets Post 51 and a framed congratulatory resolution from the legislature, and Miles’ good friend Grover Stapleton with an aerial view of the fairgrounds. —Harmann
Mr. Fair’s service spans four decades of change
By KETA STEEBS
John Miles, affable secretary of the Door County Fair for almost half his lifetime, is going to miss his old job — headaches, heartaches and all. You just don’t step out of the exposition world picture without having a few regrets.
The newly retired secretary talked about the old days a few days before his testimonial dinner Tuesday. A modest man with a wry sense of humor, John emphasized the part the community has played in his career.
“I had the help of a lot of responsible, dedicated citizens,” he declared. “Without them I never could have done it.”
Maybe so but John, whether he likes to admit it or not, has been the guiding hand, the buckstopper, chairman of the complaint department, and decision maker for most of the past 43 years. It takes a unique person to do what John Miles has done and for being the type of individual able to take lumps along with kudos, John has to bear full responsibility.
He hates write ups that sound like obituaries, so other than mentioning he was born in 1893 and has served with the fair board since 1928 (secretary since 1937), we’ll skip the chronology. We’ll talk instead of nickel beers, picnic lunches, marks, shills, games of skill, polio epidemics and rain.
Even an eternal optimist like Miles has to confess Fair prospects were dim in 1928. He recalls the narrow midway, absence of lighting, rundown buildings, inadequate financing. Those were the days when most fairgoers pulled up in a buggy drawn by old Dobbin, stayed until dark, went home to do chores and stayed home. Come dusk, the gates were closed. This was, of course, the prohibition era. It wasn’t until 1933, when spirits again became legal, that Casey Lautenbach sr. of Egg Harbor was permitted to dispense good-sized glasses of brew for five cents. Mrs. Lautenbach flipped hamburgers while convivial imbibers took turns treating each other. The men liked to line up at Casey’s stand; for 50 cents they could buy drinks for the house and still have change for a hamburger.
Horse racing was the main attraction and from 1928 until 1959 (with the exception World War II years) racing took precedence over most grandstand attractions. While the fairgrounds were used to house Smith Shipbuilding equipment, junior fairs were being held at the high schools. These, John explains, were strictly exhibits.
Other than that, the only year the fair was cancelled out was in 1955 when a polio epidemic curtailed all public gatherings. By this time night fairs outdrew daytime crowds and thanks to John Anderson, a skilled local electrician, the fair had been adequately lighted since 1937.
As self-styled “chairman of the complaint department,” John’s heard his share of gripes — mostly from brawny young men believing themselves duped by crooked operators of the games of chance. One such fellow, who had spent the better part of a $10 bill trying to win a Kewpie doll, came to John boiling mad.
“That guy gave me this little doll and ----- me out of the big one,” he exploded. After listening patiently while the would-be athlete told John everything that was wrong with the midway, the secretary walked up to the operator and asked him, confidentially, what the little Kewpie doll cost.
“Costs me about a nickel wholesale,” he admitted.
“How much is the big doll?”
“Fourteen cents.”
Here’s a dime,” said John, “give him the big doll and keep the change.”
John ran a good clean fair. Only games of skill have been permitted since bingo and gambling were outlawed in the ’30’s. He also banned pitchmen and made sure that once a fellow was caught running a crooked game of chance, he never came back.
Miles calls the fair “Door County’s, Biggest Community Enterprise” with 70 per cent of the proceeds returned to the people of Door county. He made sure that wholesale family entertainment was the rule rather than the exception and that the fair never turned into a glorified carnival. He is also impressed with the number of young people who participate in the program.
“Kids do a wonderful job selling buttons,” he beamed. “Last summer 70 per cent of the attendance was under 24 years of age. The fairs have changed throughout the years; people no longer eat picnic lunches near their buggies, nor go home at dusk, or think a horse race is the greatest possible treat but some things, like guys trying to win Kewpie dolls for their girls, never change.
****
Tuesday noon about a hundred of John’s friends, including county board members meeting that day, gathered at Andre’s to pay tribute to the secretary’s long years of service.
Grover Stapleton, one of Miles’ lifelong buddies, served as emcee and kept the proceedings light.
The county board passed a resolution commending Miles and also gave him an aerial photo of the fairgrounds. Board chairman Herb Petersen presented both.
Bob Schultz, Amvet commander, gave Miles a DeGraff carving representing Mr. Fair.
Sen. Jerry Martin had a joint resolution of the legislature and a letter from Gov. Patrick Lucey.
Representative Lary Swoboda said Miles had the respect of his friends, peers and colleagues.
Les Hayden, superintendent of the Wisconsin Association of Fairs, said Miles “has given you a fair you can well be proud of.”
Al Hilbert, Southern Door ag teacher, paid tribute to Miles for his contributions to the youth of the county.
Kewaunee county fair secretary Elroy Hoppe praised Miles for all the help he had given him.
Lawrence Johnson spoke of Miles’ dedication to work and his ability to get along with others.
County Agent Norbert Schachtner presented Miles a bound volume of letters people had sent in on the occasion of the veteran secretary’s retirement.
Miles took it all with his usual good humored smile and you got the impression that he’ll be a fixture — even though unofficial — at the Door County Fair for many years to come. After all, he’s only 79.
Courtesy of the Door County Library Newspaper Archive
[----- starts with a “g” and is an idiom for people who cheat and steal, censored because it is also an ethnic reference. Many don’t perceive it as particularly racist. The original and uncensored version is available from the newspaper archive.]
Articles about the Door County Fair
https://doorcounty.substack.com/t/door-county-fair
Articles by Keta Steebs
https://doorcounty.substack.com/t/keta-steebs