134th annual Deerfield Fair brings back country favorites
KATHLEEN D. BAILEY
Thursday, Sep. 30, 2010
When Sheryl Bolduc’s son was about five, Dwight Damon, a circus ringmaster, pulled him on stage and made him “disappear.”
“Dwight told him not to tell the secret — and he never has,” Bolduc said, of her son, now 40.
And that sense of magic survives as well, as the 134th annual Deerfield Fair opens today, Sept. 30, at the fairgrounds off Stage Road in Deerfield. Bolduc, now the president of the fair, and her staff have cooked up a mix of new and old favorites so that other families can make their own memories — or recall past good times.
The fair is one of New Hampshire’s last fall festivals, with pumpkins, scarecrows and hay bales scattered generously around the grounds. The weather can be fickle, and both fairgoers and vendors have struggled through everything from hurricanes to early frosts. Last year’s weather was good, Bolduc said, and she’s hoping for a repeat.
Regardless, the 2010 fair will feature plenty of tried-and-true events, Bolduc said, relaxing at a picnic table outside of her command central, the administration building.
Among the highlights, The Flying Wallenda Family Circus, an act that she said always attracts crowds, will give several shows each day at the Show Stage, and Seacoast magician B.J. Hickman, an act with “staying power,” will perform for the second or third generation of Deerfield fans.
Entertainment superintendent Darlene Heon has drawn in some new acts, such as Professor Paddy Whack, a strolling one-man band, and Vic and Sticks, a recycled rhythm group. The Mad Science company both will entertain and educate, Heon said, and she’s also recruited two doo-wop groups.
Heon’s husband, Rick, coordinates the concession stands, and this year he’s snagged the Puritan Backroom, based in Manchester, to operate out of the former Talbot’s Kitchen building. “One man told me, ‘This is the biggest food center north of Boston,’” she said, with a smile.
New this year are a new roof on the 4-H building, more seating in the demolition derby area, more relaxation areas on the fairgrounds and a new Kids Zone behind the Working Crafts building. Bolduc and her board listened to parents who asked for a safe, enclosed area where they and their children could catch their collective breaths. Thus Kids Zone features picnic tables, plenty of roaming space and some childfriendly entertainment.
In addition, there are the same types of horse and oxen pulls that got Bolduc, of Fremont, first involved with the fair. The Deerfield Fair Horse Show, a nationally-ranked event, will continue all four days, and there are 4-H sheep, swine, goat and cattle shows. The Miss Deerfield Fair Pageant will be held Friday at 7 p.m. at the Show Stage, and the midway will run throughout the weekend.
The fair opens today at 9 a.m. with the traditional ceremony, coordinated by Meredith Briggs of Deerfield. This year’s keynote speaker will be Jeff Holmes of Langdon, president of the New Hampshire Farm Bureau, Briggs said. She’s also hoping to have a few words from Joanne Wasson, Deerfield town historian, focusing on the old Civilian Conservation Corps building, the last remaining building of the Pawtuckaway CCC and now the Fair Museum.
Also on tap is music by a Deerfield Community School chorus and plenty of representation from state and local elected officials.
Bolduc will be patrolling the grounds on foot, from the end of the opening ceremony to Sunday’s demolition derby.
“It’s too crowded for a golf cart,” she said. She pulls it off with 450 paid staffers and about 100 volunteers, and runs the equivalent of a small city for four days. Last year’s attendance was 92,000, despite the recession, she said.
Entry is , with children 12 and under and members of the Armed Forces with identification admitted free of charge. Seniors are admitted for today and Friday. A midway special, for all rides, is available 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Sunday. For more information, call 463-7461 or log onto www.deerfieldfair.com.
This story originally appeared in the NH Weekend section of the New Hampshire Union Leader. For the best of what is happening in the Granite State check the Union Leader every Thursday, at your local newsstand, delivered to your home, or through the complete eEdition. Find more information at unionleader.com.
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