Volunteers worked hard to make Blandford Fair happen

Dale Sherman, of Worthington, leads Spring and Fall during the Sept. 1 oxen draw at the Blandford Fair.

Reminder Publishing photo by Marc St. Onge

BLANDFORD — The 155th Blandford Fair ran from Aug. 30 to Sept. 2 at the Blandford Fairgrounds.

Second year Blandford Fair Preservation Association President Matthew Ripley said Friday the fair had its largest truck pull ever, from trucks from northern Maine to Pennsylvania to New York competing, with a $4,000 payout for the modified class.

“We had beautiful weather on Friday night — we’re hoping for that for the rest of the weekend,” he said.

Ripley said another big draw was the beer garden by the Skyline Beer Company of Westfield, set up all four days of the fair next to Center Stage for the performances, which included Buchanon Rock n Roll, Morgan Skelly and the Old Crows, Backstage Pass, Woodford Way, Jesse Liam and Sarah the Fiddler on Labor Day.

Also popular was ice cream from Northside Creamery of Westfield, a staple at area fairs this year, lauded for their homemade ice cream and exceptional service.

Ripley also pointed to the new windows and some of the new siding on the Union Hall, which were funded by a grant from the Hampden County Improvement League and other sponsors and donors. He said the fair had a lot of new volunteers and extra help this year.

“We couldn’t do it without the dedication of our directors and volunteers. They are the ones that make the fair what it is,” he said.

Among those volunteers are Christine Tighe and her daughter Michelle Tighe of East Otis, who were in charge of the 56th annual art show at the Blandford Fair, another unique aspect and big draw to the Blandford Fair, which welcomes people into the gallery with a scarecrow artist painting the scene outside.

Christine Tighe said they had 82 entries this year, in oil and acrylics, pastels, drawings, watercolors, youth 6 to 12, black and white and color photography from familiar faces and new artists. The theme for the art show was “For the Love of Animals.” Throughout the four days, artists were also giving live demonstrations.

Besides the blue, red and yellow ribbons and modest cash prizes for each category, there were directors’ choice, judges’ choice and people’s choice winners. The winner for directors’ choice was “Puffin in Scotland by Gary Senecal Jr. of Oakdale, Connecticut; for judges’ choice it was “Isaiah 40:28-31″ by Roger Duffy of Belchertown, and for people’s choice, “Nosey” by Amy Toporowski of Blandford.