CUMMINGTON — “The biggest and best little fair” is back for a 157th year.
Beginning Thursday and running through Sunday, some 25,000 will come out to witness hilltown agricultural life at the Cummington Fair — featuring competitions, demolition derbies, midway rides and games, square dancing, cruise night and antique cars, a craft barn filled with things to buy, and an exhibit hall showcasing local craftsmanship, including but not limited to knitting, photography, and farming methods.
Other activities include livestock shows, antique engines and a tractor show, truck pulls, oxen pulls, a lumberjack competition and other farm-related activities.
Some new elements, said organizer Albert Judd, include a dog show and musical performers Country Jamboree on Saturday and Rock 201 on Sunday.
Judd said the fair originated from an old school sense of competition and a way to celebrate the harvest. The only year the Cummington Fair was not held in the past almost 160 years was due to COVID restrictions.
Put on by the Hillsdale Agricultural Society, the fair aims to keep the area’s agricultural tradition alive even though many “people are so far removed from agricultural generations,” he said.
So far, forecasts are looking hopeful, with sun and favorable temperatures over the fairgrounds at 94 Fairgrounds Road.
The fair takes place from 4 to 9:30 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, from 7 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, and from 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Admission is $15 for adults. Seniors, veterans and active military members can enter the fair for $12, although on Saturday admission will be free for both veterans and military members. Children aged 10-15 get in for $7, and those below the age of 10 are free. Parking is $10.
Payment at the gates are cash only.
Samuel Gelinas can be reached at sgelinas@gazettenet.com.
