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Date: 9/5/2022
BELCHERTOWN – It’s almost time to “Flock to the Fair,” and Belchertown Fair Committee member Cindy Brown hopes this year’s theme will be a harbinger of the crowds on the Town Common Sept. 23, 24 and 25.
“We picked [the theme] three years ago … and we anticipate people will be flocking in to see the fair and see each other” especially after all the disruptions of the past two years, Brown said.
The 163-year-old fair – which has an annual attendance of between 35,000 and 38,000 people according to Brown – is “the chief community event [in Belchertown] and totally free for people to come and take part in all the entertainment.”
And what entertainment there will be, Brown said.
“We kick off on Friday [Sept. 24] with the large social tent that plays music of all types – country music, local groups, tribute bands,” Brown shared. “We also have a kid’s tent [where] we have a wide variety of young people’s activities - from a baby contest to twirling demonstrations to dancing demonstrations – there’s pumpkin decorating kits, and a pedal tractor pull that’s a huge event.”
There’s a large 4-H tent that includes a petting zoo, and an agricultural tent that on Sept. 24 hosts “a big rabbit show” and on Sept. 25 puts on a chicken show, Brown said, adding the fair also boasts a pulling shed that organizes “a large horse pull on Saturday [Sept. .25] and a large oxen pull on Sunday [Sept.26].”
Saturday morning at 10 a.m., there’s a “huge parade” that runs down Main Street for “about an hour,” Brown said. Just before the parade starts, the the town’s award-wining high school band performs in a free concert.
Saturday night brings one of the fair’s most popular events – the big hay toss. This year, Brown said they’ve expanded the event from just a men’s and women’s competition to include a children’s category. Brown describes the contest as “how far you can throw a hay bale into a bucket,” and each round the bucket height rises. “The adults have such a good time, the kids finally asked ’what about us?’” so this year the toss will have two children’s classes, one for 4 -to-8-year-olds and one for 9-to-12-year-olds, Brown said.
The event stretches the length of the Town Common, with the committee’s entertainment tents on one end, the amusement rides from Fiesta Shows on the other and “some 80 vendors of all different kinds – foods, t-shirts, more” in the middle, Brown said. That vendor area also hosts booths that are the “chief fundraiser” for many town organizations, Brown added, “The Congregational Church hosts a taco salad [booth], the Little League has a speedball test [where] kids can throw and see how fast they pitch, the hockey boosters have something similar and the Fire Department has a booth with a very large raffle,” Brown gave as examples. When it comes to food vendors, Brown said they expect the Batch Ice Cream truck and one called Simply Cannoli – with “outstanding cannoli and coffee.” Several local organizations will also host booths offering favorite fair foods. “The local Lion’s Club has the market cornered on grinders and the Methodist Church does an awesome brownie sundae,” Brown said.
For the duration of the fair, Brown said the Old Town Hall is converted into a fair exhibit hall boasting “thousands of exhibits” ranging from canned and knitted goods to paintings and photography, baked goods to prize-winning produce, quilts to plants. Members of the 4-H also man a station to talk about their projects, be it caring for a pet rabbit or raising a chicken, Brown said.
For those interested in the amusement rides, Brown said Fiesta has a “wristband program on Friday, and what the call a Megapass you pay for and can use either Saturday or Sunday.” Fiesta also offers a discount program for bands or passes purchased ahead of time online. Tickets will also be available on the fairgrounds, Brown said.
The town will start seeing activity for the fair on Sept. 18 when the fair committee begins putting up “all the big tents and fences,” Brown said. Fiesta comes in with all the rides on Tuesday [Sept. 20] and the Exhibit Hall is set up by the Wednesday before the fair, according to Brown. “All the rides are inspected by the state on Thursday, all the booths are inspected by the Fire Department and the Board of Health on Friday,” and the fair opens at 3 p.m. on Sept. 23, Brown said
“There’s something for everybody,” Brown said of the town extravaganza, “And it’s all free unless you want to buy something or take a ride.”