There's a particular kind of tired that only a county fair can produce -- sunburned, sticky-fingered, down more ride tickets than you meant to buy. Fair season is already underway across the Valley, and this week brings a full rundown of what's ahead, plus a lineup of free concerts, a very good excuse to watch the neighbor's dog run an obstacle course, and the usual markets.
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Tonight doesn't disappoint. A new gallery, Kyle Timothy Fine Art, opens its doors on Main Street in Hanover this afternoon with a show of Dartmouth-connected artists. Lebanon Farmers Market brings the Adams Family Band and a full table of local lettuce, King Arthur's Community Pizza Night turns ten dollars into a full pie (bring your own toppings), and Trampled by Turtles, the American bluegrass-influenced folk band, headlines a free show at Lake Morey with food trucks starting at 6. If you have kids, Kilton Library's T-Rex Tea Party kicks off a summer of kids' programming running through early August, dinosaurs and reptiles included.
Fair season is officially here. Enfield's Old Home Days takes over town this weekend, Doggie Olympics included, and the North Haverhill Fair wraps its 82nd year on Sunday.
This weekend brings WRJ Pride weekend in full swing (parade Saturday, drag and dance Friday night), the Upper Valley's first-ever Doggie Olympics at Enfield's Old Home Days, and Opera North's final outdoor show of the summer in Cornish (Fiddler on the Roof -- sold out, but worth a call for cancellations). Saturday alone also brings a free double bill of New York Theatre Workshop premieres at the Hop, a berry basket workshop at Enfield Shaker Museum, and ice cream in King Arthur's courtyard. Later in the week, Lake Morey's concert series brings KALEO to Fairlee for a free Thursday night show.
Farmers' Markets
Eight markets are running across the Valley this week -- Lebanon, Hartland, Norwich, Mt Tom, Canaan, Honey Field Farm, West Hartford Library, and Market on the Green in Woodstock.
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This Week in the Upper Valley
Sticky, Sweet, and Swirling: Fair Season Comes to the Valley
Summer in the Upper Valley isn't complete without at least one trip to the sticky, sweaty, swirling fairgrounds -- and if you already missed Enfield's fair earlier this season, don't worry, the Valley is just getting started. Between now and mid-September there are five more chances to eat something fried, watch an ox pull a sled farther than seems physically reasonable, and remember why the midway smells the way it does.
First up, and already underway: the North Haverhill Fair, running July 22 through 26 at the Fred C. Lee Memorial Field. This is the Connecticut Valley's own, and it's the 82nd year running -- a long way from its start in 1944 as a one-day event in Rintha Nutter's field, put on by the Pink Granite Grange as a fall harvest exhibit. Today it's five days of oxen, horse, and pony pulls, a demolition derby, 4-H dairy and livestock shows, recurring sets from Cirque Cyber and the Aim High Canines stunt dog team, and the "Wee Wee Wee" pig races running most afternoons. Full day-by-day schedule at nohaverhillfair.com if you can make it down before Sunday.
Next on the calendar is the Bradford Fair, August 7-9 in Bradford, VT. It's a small fair by county standards, but it doesn't feel small once you're there -- this year's theme is "The Heart of Bradford," a nod to the town's agricultural roots, Keystone Rodeo is booked for the weekend, and there's a mechanical bull this year for anyone who wants to test their luck.
A few days later, Norwich Fair takes over town August 13-16, though it's worth knowing this one is a little different from the others. Run entirely by the Norwich Lions Club as a fundraiser, it's less livestock show and more classic midway carnival -- rides and a dunk tank are confirmed for this year. In past years the fair has also featured "Meadow Muffins" cow-pie bingo, a separate bingo tent, and a pie-baking contest, so expect those traditions to make a return too. Proceeds fund the Lions Club's Community Grants Program.
Rounding out the closer-to-home fairs is the Cornish Fair, August 21-23, just up the road from Plainfield and across the river from Windsor. This is the fair's 76th year running (it's been going since 1950), and it's home to the largest dairy show in the state, alongside horse and oxen pulling, 4-H judging, lawn mower racing, and an antique tractor pull. The music lineup leans hard into tribute acts this year -- a Queen tribute Friday night, then a Chris Stapleton tribute and a Luke Combs tribute back to back on Saturday, plus a yacht rock set Sunday afternoon. Gates are cash only, so plan accordingly.
That finale is the Tunbridge World's Fair, September 17-20, run by the Union Agricultural Society and recognized as a perpetual Top Ten event by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce. This year's theme is "Celebrating America 250!", and the fair leans into its agricultural roots with judged exhibits for everything from farm animals and vegetables to maple products, quilts, and canned goods, plus a dedicated Agricultural Education Day. No pets are allowed on the grounds, and this year's poster art comes courtesy of local artist Sophie Craven.
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