This photograph shows the Douglas County agricultural exhibit at the Minnesota State Fair in 1926.

From the Alexandria Citizen News, September 2, 1926:

“Oh, isn’t that pretty,” was repeated thousands of times during the fair in front of the Douglas County exhibit for the state fair. The sight that evoked the enthusiasm of four-fifths of the people who saw it was the “Horn of Plenty” which was the centerpiece of the state exhibit. It was about six feet tall, and the body of the horn was made of vari-colored apples with grasses and vegetables pouring out the mouth of the horn. John W. Lund, who has charge of the state exhibit from year to year, constructed this striking feature for this year’s exhibit and his ears must have burned for three days straight because of the favorable comment it attracted.

The showing of grass seeds was very good. Particularly noticeable was an exhibit of extra good alsike seed made by that good farmer, Frans Wussow. The state exhibit also contained a very fine showing of grasses and we will be surprised if Douglas County does not score high in that division this year.

The display of grain, outside of the county exhibit was rather small, only one or two entries being made of most varieties of grain, but the quality of some of the exhibits was very good.

One of the finest samples of durum we have seen in years was shown by John Lund. The kernels were large and plump and it looked more like Montana durum than the quality usually raised this far east. There was some good marquis too, but we did not see any of the ruby wheat which has become so popular here of recent years.

Carl Pipo, auctioneer and onion-raiser of Moe township, had enough exhibits in the agriculture building to make quite a show of his own. He made 39 entries of various sorts of farm produce, and took home a whole fistful of blue ribbons.

One division of exhibits in that building which always attracts a lot of interest is the exhibit of butter made by the various creameries of the county and by the housewives who still churn.

E. W. Johnson, buttermaker of the Forada creamery, made the enviable record of winning first place in this division. His creamery butter scored the high grade of 94 points. Christ Hanson of the Nelson creamery was a close second with a score of 93 ¾. Garfield, Miltona, and Eagle Bend tied for third place with a score of 93. The North American Creamery and the Osakis Creamery tied with a score of 92 ½ and the new Melby creamery, privately owned, scored 92.

Mrs. Henry Nelson took first place for dairy butter with the high score of 92 ½. Mrs. A. W. Anderson had a score of 92, Mrs. P. M. Peterson 91 ¾, Mrs. Minnie Fisher 91 ½, Mrs. Andrew Berglund 91 ½, Mrs. C. J. Pipo 91.

In the cottage cheese contest, Mrs. Etta Thomas won first, Mrs. Sarvie second and Mrs. C. J. Pipo third.

Mrs. Pipo won first in the homemade cheese.”