HEATH — When the Heath Fair returns for its 106th year this weekend, it is set to bring the same food, agricultural expos and community-wide fun that keeps drawing in crowds.

Jessica O’Neill, president of the Heath Agricultural Society that organizes the fair, said what makes the fair special is that it is the same true agricultural fair it was when it started more than a century ago.

“It’s what hasn’t changed about the fair that makes it different,” O’Neill said. “All the things you’d see at a fair years and years ago you can still see today. Live music, sheep shearing, tractor pulls, animal shows, hand-cut French fries and freshly squeezed lemonade. … We have it all.”

This year’s fair brings back fan favorites such as square dancing, set for 7:30 to 11 p.m. on Friday with caller Doug Wilkins and the Falltown String Band, and cow plop bingo, where cows are left to roam a giant bingo board drawn on the ground by organizers. The cow determines the winner by leaving manure on one of the numbered squares. Cow plop bingo will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

O’Neill added that Sunday’s schedule includes a gymkhana, which is an equestrian event consisting of speed pattern racing and timed games, starting at 11 a.m. and a birds of prey demonstration at 4 p.m. with Tom Ricardi of the Birds of Prey Rehabilitation Center in Conway.

Other activities include an antique tractor parade and pull at 5:30 p.m. on Friday; chainsaw, scythe and sheep shearing demonstrations; wagon rides; a classic vehicle parade; and a presentation on barn swallow conservation by ecologist Mara Silver.

Attendees can also enjoy music from the Deep River Ramblers, the Shelburne Falls Military Band, Snapdragons, Trouble Sisters, David and Jake Bernz, the Eddie Forman Orchestra, The Uncles with Eveline MacDougall, The Boxcar Lilies with Jim Henry, Jenny Burtis Woodbird, Zydeco Connection and The Bourbon Street Blasters.

While the fair is all about sticking to tradition, guests will notice a few new things this year, namely goats. In addition to the regular showing of cattle, rabbits, poultry, sheep, horses and dairy goats, boer goats will take the stage.

Boer goats are a South African goat breed primarily raised for meat. According to the American Boer Goat Association (ABGA), the breed was first introduced in America in 1993. The association will be hosting a boer goat market and show at 5 p.m. on Friday.

Also on display and competing in the Exhibit Hall will be locally made and grown produce, canned goods, beer, wine, cider, baked goods, sauces, and crafted items such as quilts and embroidery.

New this year are photography categories for farm life, the Heath Fair, wildlife, and landscapes or gardens.

Another special edition to the 106th fair is the corn poll, which is held every four years then the fair coincides with a presidential election. Attendees are encouraged to place a dried corn kernel in the jar coinciding with their preferred presidential candidate.

In terms of food, the Church Ladies will serve a pulled pork supper at 5:30 p.m. on Friday and the Heath Firefighters Association will offer a chicken barbecue at noon on Saturday. A pancake breakfast will be served from 8 to 10 a.m. on Sunday.

Additional options will be available at the upper and lower food stalls, open from 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

The Heath Fairgrounds will be open from 5 to 11 p.m. on Friday, 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday and 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday. Weather forecasts show chances of rain on Sunday, but O’Neill said the fair will be open rain or shine.

“In 108 years we’ve only canceled the fair twice: once for polio and once for COVID,” O’Neill recounted.

Daily tickets are $14 for adults, $12 for seniors, and free for children ages 12 and under. Three-day passes can be purchased online until Thursday at a discounted price of $30 for adults and $24 for seniors.

To learn more or to buy tickets, visit heathfair.org. Detailed directions to the Heath Fairgrounds are also available on the website.

Reach Madison Schofield at 413-930-4579 or mschofield@recorder.com.