| Fig. 347. | Fig. 348. | Fig. 349. | Fig. 350. |
If the fair comes off in the season when the trees are leafless, bare branches with green paper leaves wired on will help very much where foliage is needed.
An excellent scheme in the arrangement of a fair is to divide the tables into twelve separate booths and let each one represent one month in the year. They should contain articles appropriate only to the month represented, and when planned in this way each month should be of appropriate color. For example:
December
can be all white, with tufts of cotton scattered about for snow, and mica or isinglass sprinkled around and over places to represent frost and ice. Icicles, varying in size, depending from the arch or canopy, add to the effect. The icicles are made of strips of paper first rolled up like paper-lighters, then completely covered with tallow from the dripping of a lighted candle; the tallow being allowed to harden on in raised places makes the twisted paper resemble in form a real icicle; the tallow icicle is next covered with a wash of mucilage, and powdered mica or isinglass is sprinkled all over it, so that it sparkles and shines.
In place of the usual grab-bag at this booth, there should be a Christmas-tree without lights and burdened with little gifts tied up in colored tissue-paper. Santa Claus must have charge of the tree.
July
calls for flags and decorations of red, white, and blue, as well as flowers, fruits, and green foliage; the table should be presided over by Columbia.
May.
Deck this table in spring blossoms and make the canopy of a slender May-pole. Pass the pole through the holes in the bench (Fig. 339) and screw the bench tight on the centre of the table; fasten a wreath of flowers and the ends of a number of ribbons at the top of the pole; bring the ribbons down and tack them to the sides of the table. Give the Queen of May care of the booth.