Fair Days are Here
This weekend—Saturday, September 12 and Sunday, September 13—the annual Island Fair brings live music, animals, rides, contests, crafts, and food to Tom Nevers from 10 am to 5 pm on Saturday and from 10 am to 4 pm on Sunday. Admission is free with a $10 parking fee per vehicle.
A flea market featuring work by local artisans will be open at the fair, with widely varied offerings. Local produce, jams, jellies, pickles, sauces, baked goods, quilts, rugs, needlepoint, crafts of any type, and local farm local animals will also be displayed and judged. All entries for the blue ribbon contests must be at the fair by 10 am on Saturday morning. If there’s enough room, last-minute crafts, jams, and vegetables will be welcomed. A cash prize will be given to the winner.
Tie-dying will be back again this year. The tie-dying is free for those who bring their own article of clothing; t-shirts that can be tie-dyed will be available for purchase at the table for $5. Children will also be able to play the Pumpkin Toss game, get their faces painted, and jump in the “moon bounce.” Parents can take their youngsters on the free hay rides. Weather permitting, the dunk tank will be available. New to the fair this year is a “Wall of Sound” for kids of all ages. Ray Owen will again organize a display of local animals.
Live music will be provided at the fair by popular local bands Four Easy Payments and The Shingles.
The annual Pumpkin Contest is a favorite event. Frequent winners Ray Owen and Paul Michetti have had pumpkins that weighed in at heavier than 400 pounds. Other competitors have included Marcus Goulding, Tom McGuiness, Vincent Goulding, and Chris Iller. Fair organizers never know exactly who will show up at the fair with a pumpkin to enter until the deadline. Winners get bragging rights and ribbons for the biggest, the smallest, the most photogenic, the most unusual, and an honorable mention. Weigh-in and judging are held Saturday at high noon.
On both fair days, community groups will sell hot dogs, burgers, sausages, and other goodies, and the Sons of the American Legion will again offer their very popular seafood extravaganza along with corn-on-the-cob.
The fun continues on Sunday with the annual Animal & Pet Show at 1 p.m. The show is open to island pets of all shapes and sizes, with ribbons for the furriest, the smallest, the best trick, and many other categories.
