Chester Fair Celebrates 128th Year
Chester Fair volunteer Nancy McGee said other children’s activities will include an egg on a spoon and 3-legged races, water brigade competitions, marshmallow golf, bubble gum blowing contests, and the Sunday animal costume contest.
The ride bracelet program for the midway has been expanded allowing children to ride Kiddie Rides from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday for $8 for those purchasing tickets before 3 p.m.
Ride bracelets will be available for all rides from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday for $15 available for purchase before 3 p.m.
In addition to children’s activities and the midway, the fair will also feature educational opportunities for all ages.
According to Tim Comstock, President of the Chester Fair, “this year you will see a special emphasis on education. Listen to experts on subjects which include boat building, canning, wool spinning, and jewelry making.”
McGee said other educational exhibits will include the Connecticut Corsair airplane restoration project, an operating antique cord wood sawmill demonstration, wooden kayak builders, and much more.
Several contests will be held celebrating people’s hobbies and interests.
The fair will feature quilt, baking, and apple pie contests in addition to horticulture contests featuring fruits, vegetable arrangements, vegetables, and junior division vegetables.
Arts, crafts, and collections will be judged along with floriculture with categories including houseplants, specimens, arrangements, and junior arrangements.
Other items to be judged include canned goods, cookery, photography, and needlework.
Those who have worked up an appetite will notice five new food vendors who will join seventeen vendors from last year.
“New offerings include perogies, lobster bisque, turkey legs, Fried Oreos, turkey sandwiches, Panini with Italian soda, barbequed beef ribs, barbequed chicken, beef briquette, and meatball grinder,” McGee said.
Additionally, returning food vendors will be selling hot dogs, hamburgers, cheese steaks, sausage and peppers, hot apple buns, fresh baked cookies, Kielbasa, pulled pork sandwiches, soup and chili in a bread basket, sweet potato fries, baked cookies, fried dough, fresh cut French fries, fresh squeezed lemonade, clam fritters and fried clams.
A variety of music will take place on the main stage throughout the weekend.
Aces & Eights will perform 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. on Friday while Eight to the Bar, a swing, rhythm, and blues band, take stage Saturday from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.
The traditional jazz band Riverboat Ramblers will entertain audiences from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday while the country and western music band Gunsmoke takes the stage 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.
The Little Big Band, a swing, jazz, and old time rock ‘n roll band, will perform on Sunday from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. while the rock and roll, rhythm, and blues band Black and White take stage 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Animal lovers can enjoy pony drawings at 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Friday, a livestock judging at 8 a.m. Saturday, a cow milking contest at 10 a.m. Saturday, several cattle drawings from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, and draft horse halter classes and horse drawings Sunday at 10 a.m.
Those interested in tractors should consider checking out the antique tractor pull at 6 p.m. on Saturday and the pedal tractor pull on Sunday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Additionally, there will be an auction on the main stage at 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Saturday with auctioneer John Kurze.
According to the Chester Fair official program, this year’s fair is dedicated to Joe Kuzaro, a loyal member of the board of directors of the Chester Fair for the past fifty years, who is still an active member at age 90.
Planting trees, security work, painting every building on the Chester Fairgrounds, and preparing and working in the horse pit, are just a few of the tasks Kuzaro has done for the fair.
The Chester Fair will take place at the Chester Fairgrounds on Route 154 just north of its junction with Route 148.
Fairgoers can get to the fair by taking Route 9 to Exit 6.
Fair admission is $6 for adults, $4 for senior citizens on Sunday only, free to children ages 10 and under, and 3-day passes for $15. There is no charge for parking.
The hours of this year’s fair are Friday, August 25 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday, August 26, 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday, August 27, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
For more information visit www.chesterfair.org
