| AUGUST 13, 2010 -- A celebration of what many feel is a dying way of life in the state will be held tomorrow, Saturday, Aug. 16, when the Southington Grange # 25, Patrons of Husbandry, dedicated to the farmers of our state and nation, holds its 58th annual Community Fair from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Grange Fairgrounds, located at the corner of Knowles Ave. and Summit St. in Plantsville.
Local Grange President Jim Lamoureux will coordinate the fair again this year.
Lamoureux and his wife joined the Grange 10 years ago.
"My wife and I exhibited at the fair, and found it to be a good match for us," Lamoureux said. "It was something we both enjoyed, and, since men and women can join together, we both joined about ten years ago. Since then, we've both had a good time working together."
This will be the fifth fair he has coordinated.
"I helped coordinate the Connecticut Agricultural Fair held in Goshen this year, and it drew about 19,000 people. Our fair won't draw nearly as much, but the lessons I learned in Goshen will still come in handy here."
He noted that there are people from ages 18 to 90 working on the fair committee.
"The oldest one worked on the first fair back in 1950," he said," and certainly brings a lot to the table."
The hall will be open from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday night, and 9 to 10 a.m. on Saturday to receive exhibits, with the opening ceremonies at 10 a.m. on Saturday.
True to its background and mission, a variety of home grown vegetables, fruits, herbs and eggs will be on display, both fresh and canned. There will be adult and junior classes in all exhibits.
There will also be displays of needlework, crafts and collections, photography and homemade candy on hand.
Entries will be judged by categories, and the winners in each category will receive a small cash prize and a blue ribbon.
A baking contest, an apple pie baking contest and a quilt contest are also on the agenda. The winners of the baking events will compete for prizes in the annual meeting of the Association of Connecticut Fairs scheduled for November of this year, while the winner of the quilt contest, which is open to men and women, will represent the grange at the ACF 2008 spring meeting.
Valentine the Clown, and her friend, Robo the Clown, will be on hand to entertain the crowd, and Rocky, the New Britain Rock Cats mascot, will also appear, along with "Magic by Bobby."
A piece of fire apparatus will be on display, courtesy of the Southington Fire Department.
A display of outdoor power equipment, a book signing by mystery book author Evora Jordan, and a number of exhibits by the Future Farmers of America and the local 4-H club will be available for viewing.
Youth grange members will be collecting pet food, toys and supplies to benefit Our Companions Domestic Animal Sanctuary, a Connecticut based organization that advocate for the lives of companion animals, and the grange will continue its support of a national grange initiative to supply dictionaries to students in town.
There will be a pancake breakfast at the hall at 9 a.m. Saturday, and a harvest chicken barbecue dinner from 4 to 6 p.m.
"Bringing back the barbeque chicken dinner is one of the things I'm most proud of," Lamoureux said. "People were looking for it, and it's grown in popularity since it returned. The first year, we served about 100 dinners, and the second year it grew to about 135. Last year we sold about 150 meals, and this year we expect to sell 175.
"In fact, we had to enlarge the barbeque pit to hold three racks to accommodate the cooking."
Lamoureux expects a good turnout for this years' event.
"The weather is the driver," he said, "and so far it's looking good. The fair not only keeps our traditions alive, it does help with recruiting by helping draw new members.
"One thing I like is I get to meet some people I haven't seen since the last fair, and we can catch up what's been happening to each other."
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