SHELBURNE — For 73 years the Shelburne Grange has brought residents a day of arts and crafts, music, local food and fun at the Shelburne Grange Fair.
The 2019 fair kicked off Saturday at the Fellowship Hall on Little Mohawk Road, with a sold-out chicken barbecue, vendors and entertainers, competitions and an auction drawing crowds throughout the morning and afternoon.
“I think it’s the history, the competition and everything else that brings a sense of community to this,” said Barbara Giguere, Shelburne Grange Fair president. “You can come and see people you haven’t seen in years here. It’s about that sense of community.”
According to Giguere, the free-admission fair “ebbs and flows” from year to year, but this year was a particular success due to the Shelburne Grange having reached out to local schools in Shelburne, Buckland and Conway to invite students to the family event.
There were also more than 600 entrants in the various exhibits — locally grown fruit, vegetables, flowers, canned goods, photography and artwork — which were judged and given prizes, after which the items were auctioned off to raise money for the Shelburne Grange. This number was more than double last year’s, Giguere said.
A yearly mainstay at the fair is “Pocket Lady Penny,” who for 39 years has donned a large apron with pockets filled with children’s toys — as she strolled around the fair, children ran up to her and, in exchange for a children’s game ticket, could choose a pocket and get a prize.
“The kids really love it,” said Penny Novack, Pocket Lady Penny herself.
Pocket Lady Penny said one of the funnest things about doing the event is recognizing some of the children that get prizes — and telling them, sometimes to surprise, that she was around giving their parents toys when they were children at the Shelburne Grange Fair years ago.
The Grange is a national fraternal organization that was founded in 1867 to provide a network for rural populations. The Shelburne chapter was formed in 1903, according to Shelburne Grange President Robert Manners, and has about 90 members.
The group meets monthly and holds events throughout the year, including, in addition to the fair, community dinners, concerts, bake sales, a Halloween party and other holiday events.
According to Giguere, while Grange groups are rarer today than they once were, the Shelburne Grange has remained strong due to its level of involvement in the area.
“I think it’s the community service, our involvement in the town and community that’s kept it going,” said Giguere, adding that the group is starting a Junior Grange program for people ages 5 to 14 this fall.
Giguere said the group has appeal across generations, and she is proud to have a photograph of her great-great-grandfather with the Grange. She herself has been active with the Shelburne Grange for 40 to 45 years and remembers attending events as a teenager.
“I have generations of people not only in Shelburne but specifically with the Grange,” Giguere said. “It’s a lot of fun.”
Other attractions included music — like the Shelburne Falls Military Band and Dusti Dufresne — Tom Ricardi’s “Birds of Prey” show, Curious Creatures exotic animals show and a visit from the Greenfield Police Department’s comfort dog, Donut.
“We did more advertising this year,” said Roland Giguere, Barbara Giguere’s husband. “And the entertainers, some of them have a draw themselves.”
Reach David McLellan at dmclellan@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 268.