NORTHAMPTON — With the smell of fried food in the air and adrenaline pumping from carnival rides, the 209th anniversary of the Three County Fair did not disappoint this weekend as thousands relished the full array of festivities.
Among the fairgoers was Morgan Williams, 8, who was ecstatic after witnessing the “Wall of Death” motorcycle show on Labor Day.
“My favorite part of the fair is the rides and junk food,” Williams said, with plans to get cotton candy and popcorn.
As one of the performers spun around the circular wall on her bike, she reached up to Williams, plucking a dollar bill straight from his outstretched hand. “My favorite part was the money part,” Williams said about the show.
It also didn’t disappoint Boris Pugach, also 8, who egged on his pig of choice to win the Wee Wee Wee pig race, “Piggie Smalls.”
“I was pretty nervous but he had a big lead,” Pugach said in a post-race interview.
Families turned out in droves for the fair this Labor Day weekend, whether it was for the events that Pugach and Williams enjoyed, the rides and games or food. While there were some showers here and there, they were outshined by sunny weather for most of Friday through Monday night.
Rain or shine, the Three County Fair has been put on nearly every year since 1818 by the Hampshire, Franklin and Hampden Agricultural Society, drawing thousands in the western Massachusetts and across the region.
For many, it’s the perfect way to spend one of the last weekends of summer. After all, it is known as the Late Great Summer Fair.
The flashy rides and games, and delicious food are just one piece of it, however. Working at the agricultural exhibit barn with jarred goods, flowers, crops and more on display, Phyllis Keenan, said the fair still has its roots in agriculture. Keenan’s children, now in their 20s, first exhibited crops like tomatoes when they were kids.
“When my sons first started exhibiting, it would have been 20 years ago here … that part hasn’t changed a lot,” Keenan said about the crop exhibits.
Jim Allen sat with Keenan volunteering, reminiscing on the days of horse racing at the fair, which was removed in 2005.
“I used to come watch it every year,” Allen said.
The horse racing had a dedicated museum inside the agricultural exhibit this year. Watching a short documentary about the racing was Joyce Lacey, Mary Ann Langone and Barbara Kelsey, cracking jokes and enjoying the day. They said that the horse racing used to be the fair’s main attraction.
“It’s nice, it’s bigger, it’s much better than it was. It’s changed a lot,” Langone said about the fair. “A lot more rides … maybe I’ll go on the merry-go-round,” Langone pondered.
“We’re over the hill for that,” Lacey quipped back.
Grooming and showcasing competitions are held each year for cows, horses, sheep and other animals, a tradition for generations, especially for father-daughter duo Jim and Dakotalyn Phelon of Westfield. Jim Phelon said showcasing has been a part of their family for five generations.
Dakotalyn Phelon’s cow, Marble, had just won first place in the Junior Youth Competition.
“Before this weekend, I was at home grooming them, getting ready,” Phelon said.
Phelon along with many others travel across the region all summer showcasing their animals on the weekends. Phelon will soon be traveling to the Big E, for the final show of the summer.
One of the biggest attractions each year now is the school bus demolition derby, according to fair Executive Director Taylor Haas. Prior to the fair, Haas said she anticipated this weekend to be a record breaker with some 40,000 visitors.
A special feature this year was a music stage honoring the United States’ 250th anniversary. Also new was a magic show starring performer Lance Gifford, pulling out a number of illusions.
Haas previously told the Gazette that the fair continues to grow each year, now with some 20 food vendors and many farms that continue to join. Most importantly, she said it couldn’t be done each year without the help of 60 to 75 volunteers.
“As always, it’s just a great tradition at the end of the summer,” Haas said.
