SHELBURNE — Local residents will come together on Saturday for the 75th annual Shelburne Grange Fair taking place at 17 Little Mohawk Road.
“You get to see your neighbors; you get to see what people have been doing; it is a great way to entertain the kids,” said Barbara Giguere, chairwoman of the Shelburne Grange Fair. The event is free and open to the public.
The fair this year will have many special activities in honor of the silver anniversary, including an inflatable obstacle course for children and a horse-drawn wagon ride to transport people to and from the parking area. The Weaver’s Guild of Springfield will have live hands-on demos and many performers will take the stage throughout the day.
The Shelburne Falls Military Band will play during the chicken barbecue lunch taking place from noon to 1:30 p.m. The Shriners will be dressed in full clown gear giving out balloons and smiles to attendees. Also entertaining fairgoers will be Elvis impersonator Jason Gilbert and Greg Reil performing covers on his guitar.
Tickets for the barbecue can be reserved in advance on the grange’s website shelburnegrange.org. The full lunch costs $15 a person.
One of the fan-favorite events of the day is the 4:30 p.m. auction of all the exhibition entries that were not picked up. People will purchase floral arrangements, pies, homegrown vegetables and more that were displayed throughout the fair.
Before the auction takes place the entries will be judged for cash prizes. Giguere noted that the list of categories receiving cash prizes has changed and all the cash prizes have increased.
Asked about the 75th anniversary of the event, Giguere explained the fair has always been an event she looks forward to, even as a little child. She even has photos of her great-grandmother entering her pies into competitions at the event.
“It’s part of my community. It is part of my life,” she said.
Reach Bella Carmela Levavi at 413-930-4579 or blevavi@recorder.com