Nod to tradition sets Heath Fair apart in 105th year

Fairgoers peruse books for sale by the Friends of the Heath Free Public Library during the 102nd annual Heath Fair in 2019. The event returns Friday through Sunday.

Fairgoers peruse books for sale by the Friends of the Heath Free Public Library during the 102nd annual Heath Fair in 2019. The event returns Friday through Sunday. STAFF FILE PHOTO/DAN LITTLE

Fairgoers square dance in the cattle barn to music by the Falltown String Band during the 102nd annual Heath Fair in 2019. The event returns Friday through Sunday.

Fairgoers square dance in the cattle barn to music by the Falltown String Band during the 102nd annual Heath Fair in 2019. The event returns Friday through Sunday. STAFF FILE PHOTO/DAN LITTLE

Tim Rockwell competes in the antique tractor pull with a 1948 Ford 8N during the 102nd annual Heath Fair in 2019. The event returns Friday through Sunday.

Tim Rockwell competes in the antique tractor pull with a 1948 Ford 8N during the 102nd annual Heath Fair in 2019. The event returns Friday through Sunday. STAFF FILE PHOTO/DAN LITTLE

By BELLA LEVAVI

Staff Writer

Published: 08-16-2023 3:09 PM

HEATH — Visitors can take a step back in time when the annual Heath Fair returns this weekend, which organizers say is what keeps guests coming back year after year.

“It’s what hasn’t changed that makes us different,” said Jessica O’Neill, president of the Heath Agricultural Society that organizes the fair.

The 105th Heath Fair will kick off on Friday at the Heath Fairgrounds, with gates opening at 5 p.m. The fair continues through Sunday at 5 p.m.

Events include oxen and horse draws, truck and antique tractor pulls, and sheep shearing demonstrations. Newly added this year is the expanded Hager’s Farm Market food tent in the beer garden. Attendees at the beer garden will be able to enjoy coffee, ice cream and blueberry crumble, too.

Also new to the fair is a live scything demonstration by Larry Bruffee on Saturday at 2 p.m. Today, hay is typically processed with modern technology, but this demonstration will show how farmers processed hay by hand and with animal power in the past.

The speaker series this year includes presentations by Hawlemont Regional School 4-H youth, mushroom farming under solar panels, a backyard chicken discussion and an herbal remedy talk.

A fan-favorite activity that returns this year is the square dance, which takes place Friday from 7:30 to 11 p.m., with a break for fireworks at sundown. People will dance the night away to music by the Falltown String Band, with Doug Wilkins as the caller.

“People who have been square dancing their whole lives love it,” O’Neill said, “and people who have never done it learn and have a good time.”

A wide range of musicians, all chosen by Bob Bourke, will take the stage at the music tent all three days. Lineup highlights include Boston-based country and western band Ward Hayden and the Outliers (Friday at 7 p.m.), locally based polka band The Eddie Forman Orchestra (Saturday at 3:30 p.m.) and Fever, a wedding band that knows more than 2,000 songs that attendees can request (Saturday at 7 p.m.). Bourke obtained funding from various cultural councils to supplement the fair’s music budget, allowing for a lineup with a great variety of bands.

“For the Heath Fair with low-cost tickets,” Bourke said, “people get to see quality acts they wouldn’t be able to see without buying expensive tickets.”

Also back by popular demand is cow plop bingo. Organizers draw a grid on the ground and allow a cow to roam free. People then buy tickets for a corresponding square on the grid and win prizes if the animal leaves its cow pie on that square.

“There are so many things to look forward to,” O’Neill said.

Admission to the Heath Fair costs $12 for adults and $10 for seniors. Children under 10 years old are admitted for free. Three-day passes can be purchased online for $30 for adults and $24 for seniors.

To buy tickets and for more information, visit heathfair.org.

Reach Bella Levavi at 413-930-4579 or blevavi@recorder.com.

ScheduleFriday, Aug. 18

■5 to 8 p.m. — Exhibit Hall open.

■5 to 9 p.m. — Lower Food Booth open.

■5 to 8 p.m. — Upper Food Booth open.

■5 to 10 p.m. — Beer Garden open.

■5:30 p.m. — Music by The Uncles.

■5:30 p.m. — Ham and Bean Supper.

■5:30 p.m. — Antique Tractor Parade.

■6 p.m. — Antique Tractor Pull.

■6:30 p.m. — Bingo.

■7 p.m. — Music by Ward Hayden and the Outliers.

■7:30 to 11 p.m. — Square Dance: Falltown String Band with Doug Wilkins as caller.

■8:15 p.m. — Drawing for a free bicycle.

■Nightfall — Fireworks.

Saturday, Aug. 19

■8 a.m. to 9 p.m. — Lower Food Booth open.

■8 a.m. to 8 p.m. — Upper Food Booth open.

■10 a.m. to 8 p.m. — Exhibit Hall open.

■Noon to 9 p.m. — Beer Garden open.

■9 a.m. — Rabbit Show.

■10 a.m. — Lawn Tractor Pull.

■11 a.m. — Kids’ Games.

■11 a.m. — Horse Draw.

■11 a.m. — Music by The Trouble Sisters.

■11 a.m. — 4-H presentations by Hawlemont Regional School students.

■11 a.m. — Adult and Youth Sheep Show.

■11 a.m. — Adult Cattle Show.

■Noon — Heath Firefighters Association’s Chicken Barbecue.

■Noon — Sheep Shearing with Kevin Ford.

■1 to 4 p.m. — Wagon Rides.

■12:45 p.m. — Chainsaw Mill Demonstration.

■1 p.m. — Music by Wild Bill and the Flying Sparks.

■1 p.m. — Kids’ Games.

■1 p.m. — Cow Plop Bingo.

■2 p.m. — Scything with Larry Bruffee.

■3 p.m. — Mushroom Farming Under Solar Panels with Kyle Nartowicz.

■3:30 p.m. — Music by The Eddie Forman Orchestra.

■4:30 p.m. — Backyard Chickens Roundtable with Jessica O’Neill.

■5 p.m. — Truck Pull.

■7 p.m. — Music by Fever.

Sunday, Aug. 20

■8 a.m. to 4 p.m. — Lower Food Booth open.

■8 a.m. to 4 p.m. — Upper Food Booth open.

■8 a.m. — 5K Fun Run.

■Noon to 4 p.m. — Beer Garden open.

■8 a.m. — Obstacle Challenge Race and Gymkhana.

■9 a.m. — Church Service.

■9 a.m. — Ox Draw.

■10 a.m. to 4 p.m. — Exhibit Hall open.

■10 a.m. — American Dairy Goat Association-Sanctioned Senior and Junior Doe Goat Shows.

■10 a.m. — Poultry Judging.

■10:30 a.m. — Cruise-In.

■10:30 a.m. — Music by Slide Grinders.

■11 a.m. — Youth Cattle Show.

■11 a.m. — Gymkhana.

■11 a.m. — Chainsaw Mill Demonstration.

■Noon — Music by Rosie Porter and the Neon Moons.

■Noon — Line up for the parade.

■1 p.m. — Parade, with “Our Pollinating Partners” theme.

■1:30 to 3:30 p.m. — Wagon Rides.

■2 p.m. — Music by The Klines.

■2 p.m. — Backyard Remedies with Sweet Birch Herbals.

■2:30 p.m. — Chainsaw Mill Demonstration.

■4 p.m. — Birds of Prey Demonstration with Tom Ricardi.

■4 to 5 p.m. — Pick up Exhibit Hall entries.