Best of Show
The Agricultural building at Fryeburg Fair is jammed full of crafts associated with rural living.
Down the center of the building are the quilts, somewhere around 100. Years ago I judged the knitted and spun items for the fair and part of my duties were to help hang the quilts. My thumbs were numb for days.
Under the quilts there are large class cases with knitted and crocheted items, then pies, cookies, cakes, brownies, breads.
Against the walls are the Grange displays, the farm displays, the jams, jellies, giant pumpkins and paintings, drawings and photos.
Helen Libby was my neighbor on the East Conway Rd. 18 years ago and she was the Superintendent of the “Aggie” building. The day we moved into our new home, Helen came by with some lemonade and rhubarb pie. She welcomed me to the neighborhood and into the world of the fair.
Some of the same folks who worked the building back then are still working the building now. Great fun to see them again. Our spinning group used to spin in the Aggie building before the fiber building was built.
Rindy O’Brian was one of the founders of the Down Home Spinners Guild. She sold me my first wheel, a Louet S-10, which I still use above all of the other wheels I have owned.
She was over at the Fiber building spinning in the back corner, her usual spot for the past decade. All types of fibers, a whole host of fleeces for purchase, yarns, notions and lots of fiber art all over the buildings. I resisted temptation and didn’t buy anything this year.
But in the past, it seems that every year I bought a fleece from Joe and Judy Miller. I bought my first sheep from Joe, a beautiful moorit merino ram who we named Dan Merino.
The girls commented that we, meaning me and my cronies, all look old this year. Thanks kids. I started going to Fryeburg in my 20’s and the kids have gone every year. Helen Libby gave Lulu a big “Best of Show” rosette for her baby bucket back in 1992. I had her with me while I did demonstration spinning that year. She was a big hit. Now they are just full of beans and having too much fun.
Elizabeth loves food. Blessed with a skinny frame and being highly athletic, she can get away with eating what ever she wants. Her idea of how to tackle the fair was by food groups. First fried dough, then maple cotton candy, fries, lemonade and a sausage bomb.
Emilie likes to do the fair by animal groups.
Elizabeth went off with a buddy and did a bunch of rides, Em and I went through a bunch of the animal barns and she was able to work a b bit with John, a Vermonter who drives Oxen at the fair.
I love all of the different breeds of sheep.
The Pig barn was too crowed to mouse around in and so were the draft horse and show horse barns. After a week of rain, a sunny Saturday meant that the fair was packed. Fryeburg wins the Blue Ribbon for Agricultural fairs in New England. I am sure that there are great fairs in other parts of the country, but for us, this is THE fair to go to. We had such a good time.
