Friday, September 17, 2021
www.towntimes.com
Volume 27, Number 38
Durham Fair returning for its 101st year By Nadya Korytnikova Town Times
The formidable Durham Fair will open its gates for the 101st time next week. One of the largest agricultural fairs in North America managed entirely by unpaid volunteers, Durham’s annual fall festival kicks off Thursday, Sept. 23 and runs through Sunday, Sept. 26.
Helping to build an annual tradition: Mary Stone, the first secretary of the Durham Fair, is pictured with Marjorie Mathewson, secretary of the 1959 fair.
“This is a great event and a good way for people to relax and have a good time with their families,” fair treasurer Leonard Baginski stated. “I love the sense of community, seeing people wandering around and just being happy.” Carol Harvey, superintendent of the souvenir stand, said the sense of community at the fair is palpable. Her favorite attraction, she
‘Growing Stronger’ at 101
After being canceled in 2020, the Durham Fair returns this fall for its 101st year.
said, is the horse pull. “It reminds me of my grandfather,” said Harvey. “He just loved to sit with me at the fairs and watch the horse pulls.”
Visitors to the expansive Town House Road fairgrounds can also look forward to art exhibits, live See Fair is back, A2
With less than a week to go until the 2021 Durham Fair, local volunteers are getting ready and excited to be back at it after last year's cancellation due to the pandemic. This year, the theme is “Growing Stronger.” It seems fitting, as our local community puts in the extra effort to ensure our attendees, exhibitors and fairgoers can safely enjoy this year's event. The Durham Fair is committed to following all recommended COVID guidelines: See Stronger, A3
It started on the Town Green, and admission was 25 cents On June 16, 1916, it was voted and approved to hold a fair in Durham.
ter Wilcox, Secretary Frederick Page, and Treasurer A. Ernest Otte.
On Aug. 2, 1916, it was voted to form the Durham Fair Association with an annual membership fee of 50 cents, and the following officers were elected: President Harry Ryan, Vice-President Wal-
At subsequent meetings, it was voted to make the general admission fee 25 cents for adults and 10 cents for children, and to allow schoolchildren to exhibit in Town Hall free of charge.
At the Sept. 22, 1916 meeting, it was voted to have music at the fair with the cost not to exceed $50. A feature of the first fair and every fair through 1924 was a parade down Main Street, which began at Burckel’s Corner (intersection of Haddam QuarSee History, A6
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