The Stark County Democrat

A PUBLIC PARK.
Canton Can Have A Magnificent One Free of Charge
If She Will Only Reach Out Her Hand and Take It—The New and Extended Fair Grounds Is the Place and Canton Can Have Its

The public park question has been agitated considerably of late and several projects have been proposed. All however, have been coupled with considerable expense.

The statement made in the head lines of this article may appear ridiculous, but it is the cold, hard truth. Canton can get a magnificent public park for the asking, and the place is none other than the new and extended Fair Grounds, composed of fifty acres, including the grove on the Cook farm.

The proposed extension of the Fair Grounds has been fully explained in these columns and no doubt will soon be made. The thirty acres of the Cook farm can be purchased for $200 per acre and this the County Commissioners will pay. The only obstacle in the way is the purchase of about four or five acres, north of Hermann's restaurant, owned by Mrs. Hoffman and Mr. McQuade. Unless the latter soon agree to sell at what the Agricultural Society considers a reasonable figure the Society will change their tactics. They will let this property out of the scheme, vacate the Louisville road from the north line of Mrs. Hoffman's property, to where the new road will join the present road, east of the bridge, and then have the city establish a street through the alley, north of Hermann's, and continue the road through the Cook land as previously described in the DEMOCRAT.

The Fair Grounds, although controlled by the Agricultural Society, is county property, and the purchase of the new territory must be made by the County Commissioners.

NOW ABOUT THE PARK.

The Agricultural Society is generous and when the grounds are not being used for Fair or horse racing purposes the society proposes to turn the grounds over to the city for a public park. All the city need do is to open out a street north of Hermann's and after the Fair Grounds are extended, accept the tender of the grounds from the society.

The question of extending the water works to the Grounds, erecting a fountain, laying walks, putting in rustic benches and beautifying the grounds generally will be an after consideration for this city. As to the street cars running there, Superintendent G. E. Cook, of the Street Car Company, will no doubt have cars running to the park just as soon as Canton gets it.

Lovers of horse-racing and the projectors of the Canton Driving Association will be pleased to learn that in the Cook farm portion of the new Fair Grounds a half mile National Association track will be located, with a good location for a large grand stand.

During the year the track will be open to all people in the city, who can have free use of the track for exercising their horses and trying the speed of their trotters.

The grounds, as extended, will bring the east boundary only a short distance from the Ft. Wayne railroad and that road will no doubt indulge in the excursion business from points along its line, during Fair time, delivering its passengers within a minute's walk of the grounds.