The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Guilford Fair applications due soon
GUILFORD — As Guilford Fair weekend approaches, exhibitors who are showing their homemade goodies, creative photography, handmade crafts and farm animals are working to present their finest work.
Whether it is a chicken, a jar of jam, a handstitched quilt or a gigantic pumpkin, all entry forms are on line at guilfordfair.org.
Established in 1859, the fair has only been cancelled nine times, including last year due to COVID-19.
This year’s Guilford Fair will be held from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m., Friday, Sept. 17, 9 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 18 and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 19 at 111 Lovers Lane, Guilford.
Tickets are $10 for adults and children 12 and up,
$8 for senior citizens and veterans and military personnel with and ID, $25 for a three-day pass and $10 for onsite parking. Children 11 and under are free.
One big change this year is that there is no fair booklet., which included the fair entry categories and entry forms.
This year, forms be found at @guilfordfair.org, with links on Facebook at Guilford Fair and Twitter @guilfordfair.
Deadline to submit the printed forms is Saturday, Sept. 11 at 5 p.m.
“The big part of the fair is the quilts and the chickens and the tomatoes and we want all those people to show up,” says Barbara Puffer, fair volunteer.
“If they’re having trouble, we want to know about it, so we can help them,” she adds, referring to accessing the entry forms.
Assistance is available by calling the fair office at 203-453-3543.
For members of Colleen Augur’s 4-H club, preparing the cattle for the fair started months ago.
“A lot of it is training,” says Augur, superintendent of the cattle department.
“When you show cattle, you actually have to present them to a judge,” she adds. “They actually bring the animals out to a show ring and there’s a proper way to show them to the judge. So, they have to practice with their animals quite a bit.”
Then there is the grooming.
“You have to clip them a certain way,” she says. “Also, keep them clean, nice and clean for the judges.”
At the Green household, in Guilford, they are thinking about this year’s entries, which include a Lego project and farm animals created out of vegetables.
Theresa Green has volunteered with her husband, Brandon, for the last 12 years.
The boys, Ryan, 11 and Danny, 8, have entered their veggie creations every year since they were each about 2 years old.
“They make animals and creatures out of vegetables my father-in-law actually grows,” says Theresa Green. “They’ve made eggplant giraffes.”
“You would not believe their collection of ribbons, they are so proud of those,” says Theresa Green.
The boys will begin work on this year’s entries about two days before the fair begins, to meet the deadline for delivery to the fairgrounds, Thursday, Sept. 16 from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.
“It’s fun putting it together, but when you’re trying to make eyes, it’s hard,” says Danny Green.
For his brother, Ryan, the best part of entering his creations in the fair is, “I know a lot of people see it.”
Fair organizers are working hard to make the fair safe for all attendees, including adding more wash stations, with both soap and sanitizer; distancing signage; expansion of ticket booths and precautions for fair workers who are dealing directly with the public.
“I hope that a lot of that won’t deter the experience of the fair,” says Puffer. “I think people will feel better about it, that these safety measures have been taken.”
While the fair has a midway, with games and rides, Puffer stressed that the animals will be there for all to enjoy.
“The base is agriculture,” she says. “There’s still all the animals. There’s still a donkey show. There’s still animals to pet, the Hammonasset group comes and brings exotic animals.”
Augur is also looking forward to Guilford Fair weekend.
“We find Guilford to be one of our more fun fairs,” she says. “We’ve called it that for years. The people are easy to work with. We know everybody and everybody works together.”
Guilford Fair, 111 Lovers Lane, Guilford; 203-4533543; guilfordfair.org; Facebook Guilford Fair; Twitter @guilfordfair; Instagram @guilford.fair