NORTHAMPTON — America’s longest-running agricultural fair returns to the Three County Fairgrounds this weekend for the 208th time, where some 30,000 people are expected to attend the annual four-day event.
The fairgrounds located off Bridge Street will come alive with the sounds of live music, barnyard animals and demolition derbies starting Friday, Aug. 29, and continuing through Labor Day, Sept. 1.
Taylor Haas, in her second year as serving as executive director for the fair, said this year’s fair will include some new competitions to the mix that will celebrate the traditions of the fair.
“We’re really focusing on just kind of bringing back this Americana, fun tradition back to the fair, in hopes to just excite our community and provide a really memorable experience for everyone” Haas said. “These competitions are just kind of a fun addition to the fair, something that everyone can watch and have fun experiencing.”
Those new competitions include an apple pie-eating contest, a staple of fairs nationwide, a mullet competition to see who can best present the famous (to some, infamous) hairstyle and an axe-throwing competition featuring the “Axe Women of Maine.”
Of course, many popular events and shows will return, such as the “Wall of Death” motorcycle show, pig racing and a school bus demolition derby. Several exhibits will also be displayed throughout the duration of the fair, including a poultry exhibit, an antique tractor showcase and the farm museum, showcasing the history of agriculture in New England.
And there will be plenty to eat for fairgoers during their time there. Haas said that 20 food trucks will participate in this year’s fair, selling goods ranging from traditional fair food like fried dough and sausages to more varied products like cannolis and Venezuelan cuisine.
“It’s definitely more of a food truck festival,” Haas said. “We’ve got a little bit of everything.”
Admission is free for children 11 years and younger and regular admission is $15. Gates open on Friday at 4 p.m., with events that day lasting until 10 p.m. The next two days, on Saturday and Sunday, will feature events from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., with Monday’s final day running from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The fair and its fairgrounds are run by the nonprofit Hampshire, Franklin and Hampden Agricultural Society, which has organized the fair every year since it received a charter in 1818 aside from 2020 due to the pandemic.
For more information, visithttps://www.3countyfair.com/.
