Sunday, September 30, 2012

Sunday Salon: Fall Fair Season is Here!

As if King Richard's Faire a few weeks back wasn't enough, this weekend Jeff and I took on our annual tradition of going to the Topsfield Fair, a local agricultural fair that was one of the first of its kind in American history. Local farmers, gardeners, craftspeople and animal enthusiasts get together to show off what they've done in the past year and the rest of us eat junk food, play games and go on amusement park rides. Some highlights:

Pumpkin decorating! Local school kids decorate pumpkins to look like-anything! Above you see the Muppets, but there are sea creatures, famous people in pumpkin form, even a pumpkin ice cream sundae. The fair also shows the largest pumpkin grown locally, this year a 2009-pound monster. You can go here to the fair website to learn more about this year's winner.

Horses! The Royal Canadian Mounted Police took part in the parade that kicks off the fair. These folks were just getting ready; the exhibition included a lot more of them, beautiful and impressive in their regalia. The horses even have maple leaves shaved into their hindquarters.

Crafts! There is always a beautiful exhibition of local artists and craftspeople. I always gravitate towards the quilts! This one, a large single-block affair, was my favorite. Love!

And the annual sand sculpture. This will be worked on throughout the fair but on the first full day we go to see the beginnings of the annual design. This year it looks like an older couple enjoying fair goodies. Jeff joked that this will be the two of us in about twenty years, munching on donuts and sipping cocoa. Our fair tradition is to start the day with a hot chocolate so we're half way there!

We had so much fun yesterday. I've been going for my entire life and Jeff and I have been going together for about 15 years now. Wow!

Reading? Oh yeah, that! I'm in the middle of Louise Erdrich's Round House and Elena Ferrante's My Brilliant Friend, but I'm sweeping it all aside to read Don Quixote for the next little while. I'll keep you posted!

More Sunday Salon on Facebook. Have a great day!

5 comments:

Megan said...

I love fall fairs! I've been going to my local fair in the fall for as long as I can remember. It was this past week, and I think I am still full of all that delicious "junky" fair food. I have to say, though, that 2009 lb pumpkin puts our biggest pumpkin to shame. It weighed in at only 989 lb, and I thought that was big! Crazy!

As the Crowe Flies and Reads said...

I never dreamed that pumpkins could be so big, or that Muppet-inspired gourds could look so much like the real thing.

Sandy Nawrot said...

Fairs are awesome! I miss the fall ones up north, where it did make sense to drink hot chocolate and bundle up in a sweater.

bermudaonion said...

That looks like so much fun!

Booksnyc said...

NY has street fairs but they are not the least bit charming. I love those pumpkins in the top pic!