Make Way for the Midway (Posted 7/13/2010 10:51 am)
By Christopher Amos
The countdown for the Pioneer and Old Settlers Reunion has begun, and fair-goers will immediately see something new when they attend. The bumpy, pothole-laden road that circles the parking lot and takes motorists to the entrance of the fair grounds, Reunion Drive, is being widened and re-paved.

The fair, the largest annual gathering in the county, will be August 9-14.

County Commissioner Jerry Stringer explained that the road effort is a cooperation between Johnson County and the city of Alvarado.

“This is an inter-local agreement between the county and the city,” Stringer said. “When we get finished, the road will be like brand new.”

Scott Lyles was inside what he calls “the blade,” or what is called a retainer or road grader. He looked down the dusty road at his partner, Mike Sandoval, as he made a return trip on a large rubber-wheel roller.

“I’m waiting on a load of base because there is a low spot over there,” Lyles said. “This road was a real mess. There is a lot of work to it to do it right.”

When the fair arrives, the week will begin with the Pioneer and Old Settlers Reunion parade 6 p.m. August 9. The parade will proceed west on College Street, around the downtown square, past the north side of Parkway Park and to the reunion grounds.

Once in the gate, fair-goes will experience a lot of the same excitement as in years past.

The annual beauty contest, baby contest and fiddle contest will provide evening entertainment, and live music will also be a part of each evening’s activities.

The Midway, carnival rides and fair grounds will come alive Wednesday through Saturday. Reunion president Bill Grey said he hopes to coax the entertainment group to come a day earlier.

“Our contract with them is for Wednesday on,” Grey said. “I don’t know if they can do it yet, but I am going to try to get them to come on Tuesday. For right now, the Midway is Wednesday through Saturday.”

Entrance to the grounds, the midway and entertainment in the pavilion are all free. The only cost to attend the event is $2 parking per vehicle, food and games.

The Pioneers and Old Settlers Reunion is the largest event in Johnson County and one of the oldest gatherings in Texas. The tradition is traced back to 1892 before modern transportation and electronic communication. Local farmer and newspaper reporter John James (1852-1927) proposed a gathering of farmers and ranchers to catch up on news and “see the young ‘uns.”

The first official reunion was held in 1893 at a park northeast of Cleburne with more than 2,000 in attendance. The annual gatherings rotated to Alvarado, Grandview, Venus and Cleburne before the current property was purchased for a permanent home for the event. The first pavilion was built in 1906 but was later destroyed by a tornado.

The current grounds is the location of a former auto park, an early predecessor to motels. Land owners sometimes provided meager accommodations for early automobile travelers where, for a small fee, a motorists would camp, have access to well water and an outhouse and sleep in their car. The high, arched auto park sign remains at the gate of Pioneer and Old Settlers Reunion.

The grounds are in Alvarado, east of I-35W and south of Highway 67. For a map to the Pioneer and Old Settlers Reunion ground, visit the link at www.alvaradostar.net.

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