I’ll never forget my first real fair experience.
I was 18, young and naive, and days into my first semester of college when I attended the Great New York State Fair in Syracuse, N.Y., with friends I had just made. There were so many sights to take in: the animals (I had my photograph taken with a Jersey cow), the dozens of deep-fried food options, the House of Hazards (where I learned all about fire safety) and, perhaps the most glorious of all, the butter sculpture.
Made of hundreds of pounds of butter, this life-sized depiction a cow jumping over the moon was the most stunning sculpture I had ever seen. Forget those high school trips to New York City museums: This butter sculpture was real art. I couldn’t get enough of watching it rotate in a refrigerated glass case the Dairy Products Building.
Looking back at the photographs I took it is clear that I had many other experiences that day, but I remember the butter sculpture most clearly. In my return visits to the fair throughout college, it was always one of the first stops I made.
What’s so great about fairs and old home day events in the Upper Valley is that there are so many — and so many activities — that everyone who goes can have a different favorite experience.
For those attending Enfield Old Home Days this weekend, that might be the Methodist Church’s pulled pork supper on Friday night or the parade on Saturday morning. It might be the dance on Saturday night or the country fair and craft show on Sunday.
“It’s new and shaping up to be quite the event with something for everyone,” said Brittney Cole, a member of the Old Home Days committee, about the country fair.
Old Home Days is in its fifth year and Cole estimates that more than 500 people will attend events throughout the weekend.
“It means getting the community together to celebrate all our town has to offer and visit with one another,” Cole said in an email. “It’s also a time to celebrate Enfield’s heritage.”
Enfield isn’t the only town holding a community celebration this weekend. The North Haverhill Fair, the Thetford Hill Fair and Royalton Old Home Days are also taking place.
While I don’t know the next time I’ll make it to the Great New York State Fair to see the butter sculpture, I’ll be out exploring what the Upper Valley has to offer. I know I won’t be disappointed.
Editor’s note: For a complete schedule of Enfield Old Home Day events, visit https://www.facebook.com/pg/EnfieldOldHomeDays/events/. Liz Sauchelli can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.
