FARMINGTON — A little drizzle fell on the Farmington Fair on Tuesday as seniors came out for one of their specially priced admission days.
Seniors, ages 62 and older, are also admitted at a special $2 rate on Thursday.
As blue skies finally made an appearance, fair-goers enjoyed lunch while listening to the music of Debbie Meyers in the park or watching the pulling in the ring nearby.
For Ervin Leighton, 83, of Mount Vernon, going to the Farmington Fair has been a tradition since he was 16 years old. He comes every day because he loves it, he said.
He especially likes the horse pulling and the three-horse hitch, he said. Leighton stood in the doorway of the pulling ring, watching young oxen and steer pairs attempt a 3-minute pull.
“They have to learn,” he said. “So they’ll know when they are bigger. It’s all in the training.”
The pulling was good but the music was too, he said, as he watched the pulling and listened to Meyers.
Some people explored the vegetable exhibits in the Exhibition Hall while others found their way to several historical venues, animal shows and barns.
David Averill of Village Farm in New Sharon trimmed an Oxford sheep’s coat in one barn. The sheep is scheduled to show on Thursday so he was grooming, he said. Weighing in about 200 pounds, the 18-month-old sheep is known only by the tag on its ear, KSA62, he said.
His 35-member herd will soon dwindle to about 21 for the winter. Averill raises the sheep for meat, he said.
In the Exhibition Hall, a display of fresh beets and a large cabbage caught the eye of Judy and Ray Berry of Skowhegan.
“I’ve always liked Farmington Fair,” she said. The couple came up for Farmington Fair even while living in Massachusetts, she said. They go to most fairs now that they are living here.
Other seniors were taking the opportunity to have their blood pressure checked or bone density tested at the Healthy Community Coalition van set up near the racetrack.
Along with coalition, Farmington podiatrist Dr. Sharmilla Das-Wattley offered fair-goers information about foot issues.
Western Maine Transportation Services also provided information about its services to seniors. More information is available at 1-800-393-9335.
On Wednesday, a ride special will be offered from 1 to 9 p.m. as children traditionally enjoy a day at fair.
A 4-H swine show and market swine show begins at 2:30 p.m. and a 4-H sheep show and market sheep show begins at 4 p.m.
Pari-mutuel racing begins at 2 p.m. daily through Saturday.
abryant@sunjournal.com
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- David Averill of Village Farm in New Sharon trims the coat of KSA62, an Oxford sheep, Tuesday at Farmington Fair. His flock of sheep bear an ear tag identifying them, he said.
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- Ervin Leighton of Mount Vernon stands in the pulling ring doorway Tuesday at Farmington Fair so he can watch pulling and listen to the music of Debbie Meyers, who was performing in the park beside the ring.
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- A Skowhegan couple view vegetables in the Exhibition Hall at Farmington Fair on Tuesday.
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- African Pygmy and Nigerian Dwarf goats look for feed from people in the Pony-X-Press petting zoo at Farmington Fair on Tuesday. The goats have four stomachs and will keep on eating, attendants Fred Soule and James Sabins said.
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- The Exhibition Hall at the Farmington Fair boasts a variety of pumpkins and squash, including these 500-pound pumpkins.
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- Judges follow a yoked pair down the pulling ring at the Farmer’s Steer and Ox Pull on Tuesday at Farmington Fair. The young animals have to learn, Ervin Leighton said.
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