| AUGUST 31, 2009 -- The Pforzheimer family of Wilton has long been growing their own crops -- tomatoes, potatoes, zucchini and eggplant -- in its backyard garden. It's become something of a ritual for Andy, Zellie and their three children, with each member of the family plowing, planting, weeding and harvesting.
"It's a pleasurable kind of work because you get a great sense of accomplishment," said Zellie Pforzheimer, whose family owns the chain of Barcelona restaurants in Fairfield County. "Something is grown and you can exist on it."
The Pforzheimers are so proud of their crop that they've been entering the fruit and vegetable contest at the Cannon Grange Agricultural Fair and Exposition every year, winning several awards for their efforts.
But the Pforzheimers aren't the only ones hoping to earn prizes for their produce -- dozens of farming families across Fairfield County will show off the fruits of their labor when the Cannon Grange hosts the 77th anniversary of the agricultural fair Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Taking place on the grounds of Wilton's Cannon Grange, 25 Cannon Road, the festival also will feature judged contests in flowers, crafts, rabbits, eggs, photography, poultry, baked goods, homemade spirits, sewing and needlework. Area residents of all ages are invited to compete.
Don Offinger, president of the Cannon Grange No. 152, the organization hosting the event, will judge the egg contest. In assessing the sample of chicken, duck, geese or turkey eggs submitted by area participants, Offinger looks for "similarity in color of shells, consistency and size."
"You wouldn't submit an egg the size of your thumbnail and one that came from the store," said Offinger, owner of Offinger Farm in Wilton. "You're trying to have consistent quality."
Thankfully, many of these items won't just be on exhibit. Baked goods like pies, cookies, cupcakes, fruit jellies and jams will be available for purchase and a food court will offer up a range of delectable, homemade treats.
Aside from the agricultural, culinary and crafts competitions, the fair also will feature activities for kids, including a watermelon-eating contest, magic show, bounce house, basketball shoot, dunk tank and a rubber duck race to benefit the Wilton Volunteer Ambulance Corps. Visitors can purchase a rubber duck and watch as it sprints -- more like floats -- down the Norwalk River.
"It's kind of silly fun," Offinger said, "And it gives people the opportunity to support a local charity."
Educational exhibits, including ones from the Wilton Volunteer Ambulance Corps and the Wilton Historical Society, will be on display and the Wilton Volunteer Fire Department will roll in on antique tractors, cars and fire engines. The sounds of country music will fill the air with a performance by Billie Sue Hollingsworth of Wilton, one of several local folk and rock acts set to take the stage.
According to Offinger, the fair was first held for area farmers in Wilton and surrounding communities to display and exhibit their fresh produce, flowers, baked goods and needlework. Now in its 77th year, the fair has continued in that tradition, giving residents a rare opportunity to explore Fairfield County's agrarian past.
"Wilton was once primarily farms -- dairy farms and crop farms -- but over the years, development has taken over and the farms have disappeared," said Offinger, who grew up on one of the last family-owned farmsteads in Wilton.
Pforzheimer, who has been attending since the early 1990s, echoed those sentiments.
"It's such a charming thing, a little slice of old-fashioned life," she said.
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