Attendance smashes previous records at 177th Franklin County Fair
The theme of this year’s Franklin County Fair was “History Grows Here.”
“It’s been a great weekend,” said Michael Nelson, Montague resident and president of the Franklin County Agricultural Society, which hosts the fair. “The fair is 177 years old. It’s been here a long time – very exciting. It’s a nostalgic event for our community. We have a lot of history at the fairgrounds.”
Here, 4-H members show their animals. There are oxen pulls and sheep, chicken, rabbit and dairy shows which all offer an agricultural base for the surrounding residents and fair attendees.
Fairgoers were also drawn to Stoney Roberts’ Demolition Derby on Saturday and Sunday evenings. Steve DeJoy, Northfield resident and entertainment director, said, “The demolition is always a bit hit. Yesterday on the whole was the best day we have ever had for the whole day’s attendance. We smashed our own attendance records.”
Though final figures are not in yet, “comparing this with the 2021 fair, that had somewhere in the vicinity of 15,000 on Saturday, we had at least 1,000 if not 2,000 more people. It was an absolutely incredible day attendance-wise,” said DeJoy. He noted that the fair used to be a five-day event; it is now four.
“Agriculture is the base of the fair. Without agriculture we wouldn’t be here,” said DeJoy. “It’s a wholesome way to bring people who aren’t familiar with agriculture a way to experience it.”
As it was raining hard on Sunday morning, the oxen pull was canceled. “We didn’t want to risk an injury to the animals or their handlers,” said Nelson. “We had the entertainment and rides held back till 2 p.m.”
The dairy show took place while it poured. Member of the Pinnacleview 4-H Club for three years, Reagan Westover leases her Jerseys from Crescent Farm in Walpole, NH, and showed them at the fair. “Yesterday I got a couple good ribbons, a red ribbon (second place) and two white ribbons (third place),” she said. Her brother Brady Westover was also present, walking his Jersey March calf through the rain.
The Crescent Farm Jerseys supply the milk for Walpole Creamery All-Natural Super Premium Ice Cream. These Jerseys are owned by Sheldon “Tom” Sawyer, well known in the Jersey world. Crescent Farm has leased Jerseys to youth like those in the Pinnacleview 4-H Club for about 25 years – “As long as New Hampshire has had the leasing program,” Sawyer said. “Without the leasing program there would be nowhere as near so many kids showing.”
The leasing program allows youth without their own farms to lease a cow, care for it, show it and be immersed in 4-H.
Grace Marsh of Marsh Croft in Winchester, NH, showed her two-year-old senior Ayrshire Harriet and her calf Honey, as well three other Ayrshires. She waited under cover, out of the rain, for the “Herd of Five” class.
“I have been showing since I was three years old. That’s 22 years,” Marsh said. What does she like best about showing? “The experience – watching the younger generation learn from the older generation. Getting together with friends you don’t get to see very often.”
Ryan Rida of Cummington, MA, showed his prize-winning cows from Ridale Genetics. According to Karen Herzig, cattle department head, one of his cows won Grand Champion.
In the Roundhouse, where people showed their produce and craft exhibits, one young boy held his ear up to the shielded and enclosed frame of honeybees to hear what some call the soothing sound of their humming.
Keith Bardwell of Whately, MA, and his partner Anita Buchiane manned the Massachusetts Maple Producers Association (MMPA) booth that featured prize-winning examples of MMPA products and maple crème samples. MMPA member Bardwell owns Brookledge Sugarhouse in Whately. “This year I produced 700 gallons. 2026 was a good year,” he said.
Eager fair attendees must have kept a close watch on the weather, because just around 2 p.m. the rain began tapering off and the parking lot started filling up for folks to enjoy the last day of the fair.
For more information, access fcas.com.
by Laura Rodley
