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Date: 5/18/2018
AGAWAM – The Agawam Cultural Council’s Applause Series is coming to a close, with a final presentation from local historian David Cecchi commemorating the Eastern States Exposition’s centennial.
The free presentation will take place at 7 p.m. at the Agawam Senior Center on June 1, and is sponsored by E. Cecchi Farms of Feeding Hills. Cecchi, author of “The Big E: Eastern States Exposition,” will present a condensed, visual history of the local institution and its continuing influence on New England agriculture. The Exposition celebrated its centennial in 2016. The presentation will feature images, anecdotes and interesting facts of the Exposition from throughout the past century – ranging from the inaugural National Dairy Show of 1916, to the modern-day fair.
The Big E is the largest agricultural event on the eastern seaboard and the seventh-largest fair in the nation. The Big E is inclusive of all six of the New England states: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. Each of these states is prominently represented at the fair. It begins every autumn in West Springfield, opening on the second Friday after Labor Day, and runs for 17 days.
“It’s the agricultural aspect of it that I think is amazing, but it’s what gets lost for a lot of people,” said Cecchi. “They’ve got livestock shows, a native produce exhibit and a Future Farmers of America exhibit. It’s just amazing, you could go everyday for the whole 17 days and I still don’t think you’d see everything.”
Agriculture is something very familiar to Cecchi. The local author grew up in Agawam on one of the last remaining farms in Feeding Hills. Cecchi attended Agawam High School. He exhibited his family’s produce at the Big E Fair multiple times with his brothers.
Cecchi is currently living in the Agawam Center and enjoys one of the town’s oldest surviving inground pools – dating back to 1957 – with his wife, Laurie, and two sons, Joseph and J. Bailey. Following in their father’s footsteps, Joseph and J. Baily also involve themselves with the Exposition’s festivities – marching in the Exposition’s daily parade with the Agawam High School marching band. Working as a graphic designer, he also serves as chairman of the Agawam Historical Commission and as a board member of the Agawam Historical Association.
In 2016, his book was published – which chronicles the history or the Eastern States Agricultural and Industrial Exposition. He highlights how the Exposition was founded more than a century ago to “promote the agricultural and industrial development of the eastern states.” Cecchi presents photographs spanning the past century from exposition archives, area residents and his own collection. From the early expansion in the 1920s, the Mohawk Indian Village, images of the 1927 and 1936 floods, and program covers throughout the decades, the book is a “photographic tour” of the Exposition. Accompanying text highlights the role the Exposition has held in the revitalization and promotion of New England agriculture.
“Agawam and the Exposition have a long history going back a long way. A lot of our people grew up going to the Big E prior to the 1950s – there was a day off so all school kids could go instead of going to school and a lot of people in town have exhibited in the fair,” said Cecchi.
“I’m excited to present. I love the fair and I love to share that with everyone. There is so much about the fair that people don’t know.”
Cecchi’s appearance will be the final event of the ACC’s Applause Series, which has been running since September 2017. The series consists of a variety of one-hour community events open to the public on the first Friday of every month, and range from musician performances, theatrical plays, interactive art teachings and much more.
“As the Cultural Council, we’re committed to bringing the arts to the community,” said Treasurer of the Agawam Cultural Council Donna Fitzgerald. “I think the Series is important because the community gets to be entertained but they also get to learn something – whether it’s a musical, or a little play, or if we have one of our local historians giving a talk. It’s not only entertaining, but it’s also enlightening.”
The Series is run by the Agawam Cultural Council (ACC), an all-volunteer group and partner of the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and provides opportunities for the community to come together to watch local talent. The events are part of the ACC’s larger mission to bring engaging, entertaining and educational events in the arts, humanities and sciences to residents from Agawam and surrounding communities.
Additional information on the Applause Series events is available at the Agawam Cultural Council web site, www.agawamcc.org.