Durham Fair 2007

It was a wonderful 2007 Durham Fair! And we have lots of Durham Fair photos and memories to share. Do you have photos, too? E-mail them to webmaster@durhamfair.com and we can post them on this page! Right, lots of strollers were filled with lots of kids having a great time.
	Left, the Coginchaug Regional High School Show Choir entertains Sunday's crowds. On Saturday, the Talent Show took place on Center Stage, with vocalist Julian Miyata taking first place; second place going to the "Say What" band; third place awarded to pianist Joshua Chang; and honorable mention to vocalist Kara Drenzek. Congratulaions to all!
Right, Maintenance Department members Dave Willett, Dan Geary, Francis Willett, John Mitchell and Dick Porter built a new Green Stage, along with Bill Smith, who took the photo. The fairgrounds looked great for the 88th annual Fair. Nine local businesses donated beautiful mums that filled the planters and gardens. Our thanks to them.
	Did you know that it takes more than 1,000 volunteers to keep the Durham Fair running smoothly? And, like the happy (but tired) ones shown left, it takes a lot of time and effort. The Durham Fair Association members are grateful to each and every one of them. Do you want to volunteer? Contact us at webmaster@durhamfair.com.
The newly renovated Farm Museum was a popular spot to visit. Right, former Durham resident Harvey Waller donated this antique milk truck as part of this year's exhibits. And Mabel Hamma's running history of area farms really drew in the crowds.
	The Cow Palace was full of both beef and dairy cows! Other livestock statistics? 149 goats, 525 birds in the Poultry Department (100 more than in 2006), 360 rabbits (representing 24 different breeds), 149 sheep (35 more than last year), 6 pigs, and the largest number of llamas ever. Oh, and fairgoers were also treated to miniature horses and donkeys, too!
The popular Midway draws in all kinds of "kids," young and old. These four are taking part in one of the games offered. There must have been lots of winners, because fairgoers carrying huge stuffed animals (some so big they had to have their own seat on the shuttle bus) were seen all over the fairgrounds.
	At left is a photo of the People's Choice award for the first-ever outhouse painting contest. Crafts and Collections Department members Meredith Villwock, Amy King and Lily King painted the mural. Other mural painters - all a talented crew - were Joel and Tracy Camassar, Sue Cummings, Greg Karas and Betsy Booz.
Right, the Needlework Department was full of wonderful quilts, knitted and sewn items and other lovely things. In total, there were 12,844 registered exhibits at this year's fair, and over 2,500 of those were entered electronically. The King of the Pumpkin Patch weighed in at an incredible 1,306 pounds, entered by Joe Jutras of Scituate, RI - he's now the Durham Fair record holder! A new Connecticut record was set by Bart Toftness of Wallingford with his giant pumpkin weighing 1, 171 pounds.
	Service organizations, such as the Notre Dame Church booth, pictured left, count on the fair as their major fundraiser. This turned out to be a great opportunity for them this year. In fact, business was so good that some of them, like Notre Dame, the VFW and Little League, had to re-stock after the fair closed on Saturday night because business was so good, and that's a good thing!
The so-called "pulls" are always a favorite for fairgoers. Livestock Department head Rosemarie Naples (who, coincidentally, is also head of the pulls) said it was a wonderful fair. 23 teams showed up for the popular Saturday night three-horse pull, several coming from as far away as Pennsylvania. Fairgoers stayed well-past fair closing time to see the conclusion of the pull under a beautiful, star-filled sky. Right, these horses are waiting their turn on Sunday morning.
	A local high school student holds up the "stuffed" remains of a 16-pound lobster! Discovery Center co-head Lorrie Martin brought the lobster to be part of her demonstration. The popular spot was filled with fairgoers learning about everything from mummies to tea, from tomatoes to birds of prey, from home decorating to honey, apples, landscaping, olive oil and more.
Mummy experts and Quinnipiac University professors Jerry Conlogue and Ron Beckett drew quite a "lively" crowd at the fair this year. Both Friday and Saturday's presentations, as well as their Discovery Center booth, were packed with people of all ages. The Art Department is working hard on bringing this popular duo - and their fascinating finds - back again next year.
	Chief Detective ARThur reported his success in both recruiting deputy detectives at the fair and in recovering all art identifed as missing in the Art Department's scavenger hunt. Although the hunt was scheduled for Friday only, he received clue cards and requests for detective ribbons throughout the fair, even by mail for two weeks afterwards! Chief Detective ARThur also reports it is very likely there will be another "call to duty" for deputies next year.

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