Abigail and Jacob Ancelli, of Westfield, check out Les, an African spurred tortoise.
Reminder Publishing file photo
WESTFIELD — Volunteers are gearing up for the 97th Westfield Fair Aug. 15 to 17 at the fairgrounds on 137 Russellville Rd.
Admission is $15 — cash only at the gate — and $13 for seniors and veterans. Admission is free for children under 12 with an adult.
“The Rodeo is back! Mini-tractor races are back! The truck pull Friday night is always a big draw, along with horse and ox pulling, dairy and sheep shows on Saturdays and Sundays,” said Fair Association President Sheila Phelon, a lifelong member of 4-H.
The Lucky E Rodeo takes place on Saturday at 3 p.m., and NELMRA Lawn Mower Racing on Sunday starting at 10:30 a.m.
Phelon said for the kids, Ed Popielarczyk’s Magical Moments will be there, a petting zoo and a small midway with rides and games. The Tin Bridge Craft Beer Garden will be back, next to performances by live bands such as the Pitoniak Brothers, food booths and food trucks, including the return of the North Elm Butcher Block selling beef brisket, burnt ends, mac and cheese and sandwiches. “Always good for business,” she said.
The complete event schedule, listing participants and times, is available at thewestfieldfair.com/events.
The Westfield Fair Association Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization operating under the supervision of the Massachusetts Division of Fairs that is 100% volunteer-run and relies on donations and support to keep the tradition alive.
“The fair is a small-town family fair. We cater to the locals — we love to have local people exhibiting there, setting up booths. It’s always been a family affair,” Phelon said.
She encouraged area folks to enter and exhibit their arts and crafts and home-baked goods. “You do not have to be a member. We’d love to have a lot of new people show up. There is a small monetary award and ribbons for everything that is entered,” Phelon said.
“A lot of people wait until the last minute, but they show up. Anybody could enter at the fair. Just show up Thursday night or Friday morning and we can enter whatever you bring — we’ll find a category for it.”
The fair ends Sunday, Aug. 17, with an auction. “A lot of people will enter vegetables, eggs, cooking — take their ribbon and leave their goods, flowers, corn stalks and hay bales. We have fun with it. Anything not picked up or donated we auction off, which is always a highlight of the weekend,” Phelon said, adding that her son and son-in-law are the auctioneers. “Sometimes a whole bag of vegetables will go for a quarter. Get the brownies up there, and they’ll pay $25 for them.”
Phelon also announced that the Westfield Fair is a recipient of a Massachusetts Department of Resources Infrastructure Grant award of $60,000, which will be used to reconfigure some existing buildings and erect a new dairy barn on the fairgrounds.
She said work on the new barn will start this fall, when they will be taking down the front half of the old dairy barn and repurposing some of the metal. The new barn will be ready for next year’s fair in August.
“The Department of Agriculture has done an amazing job securing grants and funding for agriculture in Massachusetts — farms, farmers, farm stands and fairs,” Phelon said. She said the association has also been able to secure funds through donations, sponsorships and fundraisers throughout the year, plus the gate receipts that directly fund the awards and prizes given to fair participants.
For more information about the Westfield Fair Association, go to thewestfieldfair.com.
