Topsfield Fair!!

I must admit, after the debacle we had at the other fair-that-shall-not-be-named, I was a little worried about going to the Topsfield Fair.......even though we'd been there many times without a problem.

Hubby and I took the day off so we could go during the week.  Hubby has a buddy whose house is right behind the fairgrounds and creates a parking lot on his lawn at fair time every year.   We left the house to get to the fair just when it opened at 10am.   And it all went perfectly!   No traffic, and we were only the second ones to park in his buddy's lot.   A very short walk to the back entrance, and we were into the fair!

Hubby and I like just wandering around, seeing whatever we come upon. Then later in the day we check the map and go see whatever we missed.

We had some fun in the Pig House, although all the baby piggies were still snoozing.

In the cattle barn were a couple of giant steer.   This picture does not convey how massive he is.

We got to pat this little darling.

I loved this fuzzy faced sheep!

Hubby gives a little sheep some lovin'.

We also got over to see all the bunnies and poultry.  The Fair had these tags you could get by finding the "7 Wonders at the Topsfield Fair."   We visited the Beekeeping building as well and should have gotten a ribbon for finding the Queen in the hive!

The giant sand sculpture.  Despite the appearance of some black clouds, we never got more than a few drips of rain all day.

This stage was a lot of fun!  This performer had all the kids up on the stage to bang on drums.  Later in the day was another man playing all children's songs.   This is the stage our friends, The Kelly Girls, will be playing on this Sunday!

Of course, there were plenty of games to be played.   We didn't indulge, but Hubby had me take some photos of the colorful displays.

Then it was time for the pig race!  It's always a different name, but Hubby and I love this very corny part of the fair!   I couldn't resist these two little boys who got some pig snouts to join in the fun.

These were called "Swifty's Racing and Swimming Pigs".

The pig handler is holding a tiny 5 week old pig.  This little guy did not race, but he did swim!

It was pretty hard to get a photo because those pigs are fast!

Naturally, eating the amazing food is a big part of going to the fair.  Hubby always loves some Polish food.....stuffed grapeleaves, potato pancake, etc.   It's a good thing Hubby didn't take photos of everything I had at the fair!  That would have been a lot of pictures!  I consider Fair Day to be Eat Anything You Want Day, so I had an Apple Cider Donut and cold Apple Cider, Fried Dough, a Quarter Rack of Ribs, Homemade French Fries, and an Ice Cream Cone.   We also bought some Kettle Corn to take home.

We saw some really good musicians.

I always love the Craft Barn.  Beautiful quilts and lots of other art including paintings, photos, sewing, knitting, stained glass, rug hooking, etc.

These are some of Hubby's favorite guys.  They are called Boots and Britches and they have an Old-Time "RV" they bring around to the fairs, then they sing some of the old standard songs.   They have some great stories and are very entertaining!

Finally, it was time to go.  Hubby and I don't go on any of the rides, but the gate we leave through goes through the Midway.  It was actually kind of cool to see all the colorful rides with the lights flashing and hear the people screaming!

Thankfully, it was a wonderful day at the fair.  With this successful outing, I'll be looking forward to going to the fair for many years to come!