Bridgewater Fair Returns This Month

BRIDGEWATER — The 60th Bridgewater Country Fair will return to the Route 133 fairgrounds (100 Main Street South) the weekend of Friday through Sunday, August 19-21.

Gates will be open from 4 to 11 pm on Friday, 8 am until 11 pm on Saturday, and 8 am until 7 pm Sunday. Admission is $8, $5 for senior citizens on Saturday and Sunday, and free for ages 12 and under. Three-day passes are available for $16.

The event is presented by and serves as a fundraiser for Bridgewater Volunteer Fire Department.

With the exception of guide dogs and pet parade entrants, please note that no pets are allowed on the fairgrounds.

The Firemen’s Parade, a major event of the fair, will step off on Friday at 6:45, featuring fire departments, color guards and bands from across Connecticut and New York.

Exhibits offered all weekend will include vegetable, canning and eggs, fruit and flower shows, baking, hobbies, needlework, art and photo exhibits, cattle and poultry displays, wool and shearing, industrial and agricultural exhibits. Carnival rides including those for the younger set will begin running at 5 pm on Friday and continue all weekend.

The fair will also have plenty of entertainment, commercial tents, and food and refreshment stands including plenty of the just-cooked roast beef and chicken the fair is famous for.

This year’s entertainment will include performances by Jenna Bollard & Alie Zwart and Flashback on Friday, Dogwood Chatter (featuring Jenna Bollard and Alie Zwart), Nashville Drive, Beau Badrick, and Jimmy Kenny & The Pirate Beach Band on Saturday. Sunday’s musical entertainment will be performed by Bollard & Zwart, and Salisbury Hand Drummers with John Marshall.

A children’s pet parade will open the bandstand stage at 9:30 Saturday morning, followed by a pedal tractor pull for ages 10 and under (which will be offered again on Sunday at 11). Tractor Mac will have a number of shows on the bandstand each day.

Hot Dog Pig Racing, Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Shows, and Kuykendall Border Collie herding demos will be offered a few times each day, Saturday and Sunday.

Junior Dairy & Beef shows will begin at 9 on Saturday, an antique tractor pull will begin at 2:30, and a pony pull will begin at 3, also on Saturday.

The Junior Showmanship competition will begin at 9 am Sunday, a day that will also include ox judging and drawing, and a garden tractor pull.

This year’s fair will also host the 2nd Annual Firemen’s Muster at the Bridgewater Fair. Teams of four firefighters will be competing in a grueling course on Saturday beginning at 11 am. Members of Brookfield Volunteer Fire Department will be defending their title, won during last year’s inaugural muster.

Six prizes have been arranged for this year’s raffle. Tickets are $5 each and will be available until the close of the fair on Sunday. This year’s top prize is a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado pick-up truck. Additional prizes are a Traeger pellet grill with cover; iPad and Apple TV; Cannondale Quick 6 bicycle, volleyball set and horse shoes; Powermate Cyclone wheeled blower; and Radian remote controlled airplane.

The raffle drawing will be held on Monday, August 22, at 6 pm, at Bridgewater Fire House. Winners do not need to be present to win. Prizes are not redeemable for cash.

For additional information call the fair office, 860-354-4730, or visit BridgewaterFair.com. A complete schedule for the weekend is available online.