NORTHAMPTON — As vendors set up shop and entertainers new and old get ready to perform, the weekend’s 199th Three County Fair is taking shape at and over the city’s fairgrounds today.
A new “flipping” act required a few hours of setup Wednesday afternoon, as members of the Dominguez family hung the lyra — long, draping cloth — upon which to perform their aerial mastery.
Eric Dominguez, 26, of Florida-based Salto Entertainment, worked with his wife, brother and father to ensure the stage was set safely. Kiara Dominguez pulled on the lyra, leaning back and looking around at the staging.
“You’ve got to test all the equipment,” Eric Dominguez said. “It’s always important when you’re up high.”
Kiara Dominguez noticed a wobble and calls attention to it.
“You gotta tie it more,” Eric Dominguez said to his father upon seeing the jiggle. “I don’t know why it keeps doing that.”
Eric and Kiara Dominguez, who met in the circus, said they love what they do, and they get to travel to places like Northampton.
“The nicest thing is you’re always traveling, meeting new people,” Eric Dominguez said.
The four-day fair opens today. Bruce Shallcross, general manager for the Three County Fair and the fairgrounds, described the Dominguez act as Cirque du Soleil-like and said that it is not the only thing new this year.
There will also be a free show for veterans, called “Good Evening Vietnam,” Steve Riley and the Orchestra Royale will perform zydeco on the main stage, and Shallcross said they will prime the pumps with some dance lessons in advance of the performance.
On Saturday there will be a beer-tasting event — a contest for the best home brew — and a biergarten in which to indulge. Beer-lovers need have no fear about missing out, said Shallcross, as beer will be available outside of the tasting, as well.
Plus, Polish food will be prepared and served this year by Bernat’s deli of Chicopee.
There will also be old favorites like the demolition derby, tractor pulls and Grannie’s Racing Pigs.
“All the regular fair stuff is going on as usual,” Shallcross said. “It takes an army to put together a fair.”
Another new thing that fairgoers should expect, Shallcross said, is a bag check at the gates.
“You have to upgrade your security,” he said. “That’s just part of the industry, now.”
Others, like David Brensilver, are readying for the fair in a different sense. The Bengal tiger act and the use of livestock, he said, are examples of the cruel exploitation of animals, and so he and about a dozen other animal rights organizers plan to be active this weekend in the form of peaceful demonstration.
“Most people don’t know or think about how these animals are brought into this world to be slaughtered,” he said. “It’s a horrendous, horrendous thing that we as humans do to these other species and we want it to stop.”
It’s not a judgmental stance, he said, but more about helping others to see the consequences of humanity’s actions.
“For me it’s simple — I want people to think about their choices,” Brensilver said. “Imagine yourself being thrown into one of these situations.”
Shallcross encouraged people who care about animals to contribute to the National Wildlife Fund. He said the animals at the fair are well cared for, and fair organizers don’t stand for anything less.
“It’s pretty well regulated,” Shallcross said, adding that he has banned people from the fair for treating their animals questionably. “We keep a close eye on how they treat their animals.”