Lions Club Country Fair draws thousands

TERRYVILLE >> For nearly 70 years, people young and old have come to the fairgrounds to celebrate New England’s agricultural heritage by enjoying the sights and sounds of a truck pull or livestock show, eating cotton candy or fried dough and spending the day with the family experiencing downhome country fun.

The Terryville Lions Club hosted its 67th annual country fair over the weekend, featuring

fireworks, tractor pulling, horse riding, pig racing, skillet tossing, livestock judging, games, rides and a demolition derby.

The fair, established in 1948, took place at the Terryville fairgrounds on Town Hill Road Friday through Sunday.

Martin Sandshaw, Terryville Lions Club president, spoke about the importance of the fair to the town, the many attractions, and the work that the Lions Club does in the community and around the world.

“We estimate an attendance of 25,000 to 30,000 people throughout the weekend,” said Sandshaw. “It’s grown tremendously throughout the years.”

Sandshaw said that when the fair first began it was nothing more than a few tents with a handful of attractions.

“We now have many permanent structures here to help facilitate the needs of the fair and it makes it a lot easier for us,” said Sandshaw. “At the end of the fair, we immediately begin planning for next year.”

Sandshaw said that a new area was constructed for the demolition derby and tractor pull and some new attractions were added this year.

“We constructed a new 50- by 300-square-foot pit for the demolition derby and truck pull since we didn’t have enough space last year,” said Sandshaw. “We also included a new ATV race this year and we’re always adding new events.”

The fair is the Lions Club’s largest fundraiser of the year with the proceeds going towards the organization’s outreach.

“Our Lions Club is part of the world’s largest service organization,” said Sandshaw. “Our main focus is prevention of blindness and we do a lot of humanitiarian work eradicating river blindness, measles and offering assistance to disasters throughout the world.”

The Terryville Lions Club, chartered in 1942, is affiliated with Lions Club International that supports international service projects and disaster relief efforts around the world.

The club is also active in the community and works with local groups and organizations.

“We support the Little League, Boy Scouts, and other organizations, provide free eye exams and hearing tests and give 4 scholarships to graduating seniors and the high school every year,” said Sandshaw.

The fair has become an institution in town and will continue on as a tradition for a long time.

“It’s going to keep on going every year,” said Sandshaw. “The community looks forward to it and it will continue on long after this year.”