My friend's favorite part of the fair is the kick off parade. The parade starts at 6:45 pm Friday evening and features area Volunteer Fire Companies from Connecticut and New York, carrying their colors and displaying their newest trucks as well as antique fire equipment. Marching bands, color guard, and many other attractions ring in the fair as they make their way down historic Main Street in Bridgewater.
While I love going to the Bridgewater Fair because it's the first fair of the season, it is also a great fair. I remember being on top of the ferris wheel and looking out over the large fairgrounds and picking what I wanted to see next.
One of my favorite acitivities with the kids is checking out all of the animals that are on display. That was the first time my kids saw pigs, sheep, chickens, and rabbits up close. We watched the tractor pulls and check out the exhibits for the competitions and see the hardwork people put into their sewing, photography, and gardens.
I spoke with an organizer of the fair and his favorite activities are the pig races (Friday at 6:30 and 10:30 pm, Saturday at 12:30, 4:30, 6:30, and 8:30, and Sunday at 10:30 am, 12:30, 2:30, and 4:30) and the food.
I couldn't help but be struck by the pride felt by the dedicated, volunteer team that heads up the fair each year and the sense of history, family, and community. The Bridgewater Volunteer Fire Department supports itself completely almost entirely from the proceeds from the fair. The fair has a long history, this is the 61st Bridgewater Fair, and the Bridgewater Fire Department seems to be in teh blood. The grandfather of two current volunteers was the first Bridgewater Fire Chief.
And the community feeling is strong. Not only in the volunteers who are still on call even during the fair, but with the nearly 1000 volunteers who help with the fair. The people manning the food tents, the kind person at the admission gate, and more are dedicating their time to help out the town and an important town resource.
So come to the fair!
