From Oct. 3 to 13, the North Shore’s beloved Topsfield Fair once again ushered in the magic of fall, filling the air with the scent of cider, the glow of lights and the laughter of fairgoers. For countless New Englanders, it’s the moment the fall season truly begins. As you walk in, the smells of fresh apple crisp, buttery corn, pumpkins, sausages sizzling on the grill and hay fills the air.
The sound of screams flourish throughout the air as the faint mooing sounds of cows are heard from the nearby barns in the fair. Crowds of people tested their luck at the game booths, and children laughed with delight as they rode the many different rides, taking in the kickoff to the fall season.
The Topsfield Fair is recognized as America’s oldest county fair tradition for all families, which dates back to its founding by the Essex County Agricultural Society in 1818. Since opening there have been new attractions and events added each year.
This year’s fair has featured a diverse range of attractions, competitions and entertainment. Highlights of the fair included appearances by the New England Rodeo, a live concert by legendary pop artist Frankie Avalon, a hot dog eating contest, demolition derby, live pumpkin carving demonstrations from Paul Dever, a draft horse show and the famous money pole climb.
The most known event at the fair is the giant pumpkin competition, which has been an ongoing tradition since 1984.
This year marked the 41st anniversary of the All New England Giant Pumpkin Weigh Off which always takes place on the opening night of the fair.
Over the years, the pumpkins have broken many world records, and this year there was a new record set.
As reported from the Topsfield Fair, there were 33 pumpkins in this year’s competition.
The winning pumpkin went to Alex Noel of Abington, Connecticut, which weighed 2,507 pounds. This set the Topsfield Fair pumpkin record in history, surpassing the all-time record of 2,480.
According to the Boston Globe, this is Noel’s third time winning the contest at the Topsfield Fair. For coming in first place he won $10,525 in winnings for his record-breaking pumpkin that he has been growing for the 98 days leading up to the fair. He also has bragging rights until next year’s competition.
Many people don’t just go to the fair to watch the outstanding pumpkin weigh off contest, but also to devour into the delicious fall treats that are offered at the fair.
The fair hosts over 300 different vendors from all over the world where mostly food is sold. Many fair favorites were on site at this year’s fair including my favorites: freshly stuffed whoopie pies, turkey gobbler sandwiches, warm grilled turkey legs, fried oreos, warm homemade apple and blueberry crisp with ice cream, crunchy maple flavored kettle corn and loaded baked potatoes.
The fair also included local goods for attendees to buy including fair merchandise, jewelry, homemade honey, custom artwork, freshly grown vegetables, delicious apple cider donuts, pumpkins, toys and more.
Other delicious options at the fair included ice cream cookie sandwiches, caramel apples, mac and cheese and buttery hot fried dough.
In addition to all of the delicious mouth watering food, attendees have a variety of rides to choose from while being at the fair. There are family friendly rides such as the carousel and the Ferris wheel while thrill seekers can test their courage on the Thunder Bolt, Vertigo, Zipper, Flying Bobs and many more thrilling rides.
One of the main attractions that entertains everyone at the fair is the “Drown the Rude Clown” stand. Attendees throw baseballs at a target in hopes of dunking the clown into the tank. The crowds tend to hate the clown due to his rude comments and remarks, but everyone gets excited when the clown is silenced by the dunk tank. Including this year where many young children were successful in hitting the target to drown the clown.
Many people also come out to the fair for the variety of different animals on display to see. The cow barn is always a big hit every year, where you get to pet them, feed them treats and even get to see farmers feed the cows properly.
However, this year many were in the bunny barn instead where attendees were able to play with different bunnies and hold them. Some of the furry friends were also available for purchase to take home as a new pet.
Also, there is a poultry barn, which is one of the many animal attractions that the fair is known for, such as for their award-winning geese, ducks, turkeys, swans, chickens and hatching chicks.
There are also many other areas at the fair to see animals, all the way from learning about bees, to seeing the stinky pigs play in mud, donkeys and to even petting the soft, curly, large sheep.
As the lights dim on this year’s fair, visitors are already counting down the days until the next round of rides, food and fun at Topsfield. The fair will be back next year from Oct. 2 to 12 to celebrate its 208th anniversary.
