In 2010 I began to volunteer at the fair, as a knitter, sitting by the sheep and goat barn and answering questions like “what are you knitting” and "how do you do that", and about the yarn. This year I volunteered Thursday afternoon and all day Saturday. There were other knitters, and also spinners with their fleeces and wheels, making yarn (they get most of the attention).
One event I try not to miss is the Sheep Dog Trials on Thursday evening. A Border Collie and its handler try to get 3 sheep to go through gates, water and over a bridge and end up in a pen. It’s very hard to do, and each attempt is timed at 4 minutes, so the whole thing usually runs about 90 minutes. The sheep are everything from indifferent ("I would rather eat grain, thank you") to fiercely rebellious ("Don’t you come near me, dog, or I will STOMP you!"). Some dogs get so excited about herding that they forget to pay attention to the handler. Everyone always wants the dog to do well, so there is a lot of audience participation (moans and groans, cheers and applause). I don’t think this helps the dog’s concentration.
This year I persuaded my favorite dance partner to go to the trials with me – he’d never seen them. He said “There are entire afternoons of this?” “Oh yes, at Queechee and a couple of places in New Hampshire.” “Well, it's interesting, but this is long enough for me!” Still, he says he’ll come next year.
At noon on Saturday and Sunday of Fair weekend there is a Cavalcade of Agriculture, a parade that circles the harness racing track, made up of animals large and small. Not many horses, but lots sheep, goats, dairy cows and calves, and oxen. Every animal has to be led, by adults, teens, and kids, including some little kids. This year the parade lineup started near the sheep barn: sheep, goats and dairy on one side, the ox pairs and singles on the other. We didn’t need to move. We sat in our chairs and watched the animals come by. Very close by.
There are stage shows, a midway, non-stop Bingo games, animal barns (cattle, oxen, sheep, goats, poultry, rabbits, horses). There are judged horse and livestock shows, and horse pulling, pony pulling and ox pulling. There are exhibits of all sorts from heavy equipment and solar energy vendors, to Antiques Hill, where age-old arts and crafts are demonstrated, antique tools are on display, and ancient steam-driven machines puff and blow.
In the Dodge-Gilman building you find the judged cakes, muffins, jams, jellies, relishes, fruits and vegetables. You can learn about Christmas tree growing and bee-keeping. You get to admire the largest pumpkin, which this year weighed in at 650 pounds. Technically, it is no longer a pumpkin. It is a pumpkin-squash cross. Nowadays there are special seeds for growing giant pumpkins.
There is Fair Food, most of which is very bad for you. Sausage/peppers/onion on a roll. Burgers and corn dogs. Apple crisp with ice cream. Fried whatever-you-want, including fried dough, the charm of which I will never understand. Yes, donuts are often fried. But fried dough is not a donut. Starting last year, you could find the occasional smoothie vendor (a poor second to smoothie stands in airports), and this year you could get made-to-order vegetable crepes, Vietnamese food, and (my favorite) a pulled-pork quesadilla that was so juicy it required two paper plates and far more paper napkins than I took with me.
Not the least of the exhibits are the craft exhibits and flower arrangements in Floral Hall. The Junior Section is for kids under 16 (although most of the entries are from kids age 14 and younger). This year the Vegetable Costume Class had some wonderful entries.
I was happy that friends from work, my neighbors the Flints, and people from the Montpelier contradance stopped to say hello. Actually, it was more like “Hello!! What a surprise to see you here!” I really had a good time.
Want to see more Fair pictures?
2009:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.503444816335080.121140.100000086971614&type=1&l=5347ad28d6
2011:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.503444123001816.121138.100000086971614&type=1&l=7bfc77776c
2012:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.503441506335411.121134.100000086971614&type=1&l=640a33bbc3
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