No Ferris wheels needed as Heath Fair celebrates 108 years of tradition

HEATH — At 108 years old, the Heath Fair’s spirit remained as strong as ever this year, despite gloomy weather in the forecast.

The fair opened on Friday and attendees had a plethora of activities to take part in over the three-day event. For Elissa Viarengo, co-president of the Heath Agricultural Society, the fair is a community celebration of agriculture.

“It’s been amazing — we had the biggest Friday night crowd that I think we’ve had in recent years, so we’re very excited about that,” Viarengo said on Saturday. “As I walk around the fairgrounds and talk to people and ask them about their fair experience, they always love to share how much they enjoy this fair, that it’s the friendliest fair that they come to.”

One of the earliest events at the fair was the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the recently restored and refurbished Heath Silo. Viarengo said around 40 people were there for the event, including Jim Graves, the grandson of the original owners of the silo before it was donated to the Heath Fairgrounds. With doors to the fair opening right as the ribbon-cutting started, this event set the stage for the weekend.

“It was really special to have him with us,” Viarengo said of Graves. “We saw him in the crowd and brought him out right away, and we had him join us, and then he shared a little bit of history as well. … It gave us an opportunity to honor the history of the silo, honor the family and the gentleman. That was really special.”

On Saturday, the adult and youth sheep show began at 10 a.m. and continued into the afternoon. One of the participants, 11-year-old Abigail Parks, said she’s been doing these types of shows competitively for the last three years.

“[Growing up], my family had Poll Dorsets,” Parks said, referencing the hornless, mid-size sheep. “They were way too big for me, so I needed a smaller animal that was more my size. I’ve been working with sheep since I was little.”

Her grandmother, Becky Peterson, said Abigail has competed in sheep shows all across the country.

One of the main missions of the Heath Fair is connecting children to agriculture, with children in the 4-H program giving presentations on agriculture on Saturday morning. The role of children in the Heath Fair was seen further underneath the tent operated by the Friends of the Heath Free Public Library.

“I love seeing the kids come in and sit down in the grass, and pick up a book from the piles and piles and just sit there and read while their parents are scoping out books,” said Gale Hubley, a member of the group.

Dianne Grinnell, another member of the Friends of the Heath Free Public Library, said that throughout the day, kids had been in and out of the tent, and that one girl in particular parked herself under a table and read while her parents perused the options.

Tucked in between the vendors, animals and crowds of people, Budge Litchfield, a Heath resident and member of the Mohawk Trail Regional School District School Committee, had a booth providing information about the work of the two-district, eight-town steering committee and the possibility of consolidation in the district.

While Litchfield said it had been slow so far, he noted that those who had stopped by the booth asked great questions about the potential consolidation and the work of the district.

“It’s all about getting people informed,” Litchfield said.

Jessica O’Neill, co-president of the Heath Agricultural Society, said that over the years, her favorite spot at the Heath Fair has been the Exhibit Hall, where local arts and crafts, produce, photography and more is on display.

“The beautiful thing is that people still participate in this hall. It hasn’t died out, and in fact, it’s gotten bigger,” O’Neill said. “Youth, teens, adults, seniors, they all get to put in their arts and crafts and what they grew. I love that people still care about it and that it still matters to them. It’s still part of their routine.

“There’s such pride when they’re coming in and setting it up, and then they come in and they see if they won a ribbon or not, but still, there stuff’s there on display and people are enjoying it,” O’Neill added.

Viarengo said that people often say the Heath Fair is unlike any county fair they’ve been at before, noting that while there’s no Ferris wheel or merry-go-rounds like there might be at other fairs, not having those attractions brings people closer to the agricultural community that Heath sustains.

“I love seeing that enthusiasm with the youth, and the promotion and the excitement about agriculture,” Viarengo said. “I love being able to walk around … seeing all of the different events: seeing the sheep, seeing the cows, seeing the rabbits, seeing everybody so excited about it.

“What always gets me about the Heath Fair — I call it the Heath Fair magic — it is the amount of people who come together to pull this off,” Viarengo continued. “Everybody has their specialty, they show up dedicated. … I get so emotional about it, because I love it so much, and I’m just so blown away by the community that comes to put it together.”