The annual Topsfield Fair has been a popular attraction since 1818,
under the auspices of a non-profit organization - the Essex Agricultural Society.
It's now acknowledged to be the longest running fair in the USA.
We visited on Friday, to avoid the huge weekend crowds, and can now share some photos.
There were local farms exhibiting their
alpaca stock:
Photo: [X] Oct.9, 2009
These docile and friendly animals are being farmed for their very fine wool which is
spun into yarn using handmade equipment, which was also on display with
active artisans using a spinning wheel and looms.
There was also a sheep shearing demonstration which brought back boyhood memories
of working with my cousins, Andrew and Johnny, in the woolshed out at 'Greenhills'.
Photo: [X] Oct.9, 2009
The shearing technique being used here was pioneered by Godfrey Bowen. In 1953 he became ‘world-famous in New Zealand’ when he broke the world record by shearing 456
full-wool ewes [full grown female sheep] in nine hours!
Here is "Jessica", a great looking Jersey calf,
which again brought back memories -
this time of showing a prize-winning calf at the Fernridge school fair.
Photo: [X] Oct.9, 2009
Now this was an impressive animal on show in the Cattle Pavilion - a
Texas longhorn steer:
Photo: [X] Oct.9, 2009
His handler was giving a commentary on how, in bygone days, these animals were trained
to work in the fields. They would pull farm equipment, such as a single furrow plough, in a way similar to a draft horse hitch. Here is a pair connected by the wooden yoke that is used to attach to the farm implement, being taken through their
paces.
Now for draft horses,
the Hallamore sponsored Clydesdales were at the fair. They live on a farm in Lakeville, in southern Massachusetts. We missed seeing them in the main arena
in the classic 8-horse hitch with a wagon. But here is all of the tackle being
watched by the horse stall hand and his faithful pal 'Harley', a British bulldog:
Photo: [X] Oct.9, 2009
These 'heavy draft horses' are both big, they weigh over 2000 ponds (about one ton), and also tall (about 6 feet at the shoulder). The Clydesdale breed originated in Scotland, but these working horses are now bred in the USA. Here is a photo of one of
the team, courtesy of 'mike01905' and from the fair last year.
[Link]
There were also many exotic animals and birds on display. The cage full of
pheasants was
a real eye catcher. Here we have both 'golden' and 'chinese' specimens perched in a pine tree:
Photo: [X] Oct.9, 2009
If you would like to learn more about the activities at this annual "country fair", here is the official website.
We will be back with more on the monster pumpkin competition (and extracurricular pumpkin tossing), the food courts, antique tractor pull, etc..
