Tunbridge World's Fair

With the Ed Larkin Contra Dancers

If J R R Tolkein's Shire is anywhere, it is in Vermont. Tunbridge World's Fair has a backstory, the Ed Larkin Contra dancers pictured above are celebrating their 91st year performing here. This is my second year and I already feel honoured to be back.

It's impossible to describe the sheer shock of discovering this fair which is located in a hollow on some of the lower slopes of the Green Mountains, you are driving through the hills, turn a corner and suddenly there is a Ferris wheel. You could probably keep going straight through the picturesque and quintessential Vermont village and only ever see the Ferris wheel, but obviously I had to turn left into the fair. My parking is right behind my venue, the originally named "Entertainment Tent" which I am sharing with the Ed Larkin Contra Dancers and Andrew Silver "Silver Circus" from Maine. He is a talented mime and has a nice, gentle show, which at times truly entrances his audience.

Thursday is school day and there are several yellow buses in the car park. My first show of the day is at 10.30 am, and I am following the Ed Larkin dancers, they are a lovely bunch of mostly octogenarians (although some are even older) who perform their dances with pride. The tent is full of elementary children, and many of them join in with the dancing.

When it's my turn for the show, the children are raucous. Children really like the big unicycle, and they all laugh when the plunger gets stuck on my head. Both my 10.30 and my 12.30 shows are packed with children, and it's all pretty easy and a little bit loud.

My car is parked in my own marked space right behind the tent, which is located on a higher part of the fairgrounds, and I have a commanding view of the whole fair spaced out mostly below me in the hollow. Again I am taken in by the beauty of the place.

VIP Parking

My friend Sam and his lovely wife Meghan live close by with their baby girl Nora, who is about 10 months old, they are going to come visit the fair on Saturday, so I drop off a couple of tickets to them on my way home. Sam used to be my tenant in Warren, but moved out when he met Meghan. He is a very industrious man, he runs his own non-profit company which helps with sustainable living in a few poorer countries, one of which being Nepal which is one of my favourite places in the world. I spent a few months there back in 1996 and was privileged to trek round the Annapurna circuit before it became tightly controlled and expensive. Here is a link to the Annapurna circuit for those of you who are interested - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annapurna_Circuit

I have so many beautiful memories of that trip, but I digress. Recreational and medical marijuana are legal in Vermont, and Sam has a small weed farm, "Brookfield Buds". They have a nice selection of fabulous weed, and they make a range of different products which will suit any enthusiast's taste (the Cannagar is very good, if a little pricey) and if you are ever in Vermont you should ask for it by name at one of our numerous weed stores.

Friday is a lovely day too, not anywhere near as many children, but the tent always seems to have a good crowd and the weather is perfect (mid-seventies Fahrenheit, 23 centigrade). Between shows, I stroll around the fair grounds, on the northern end are a couple of ancient barns which contain the prize winning produce, next year I may enter some of my tomatoes as they were pretty big this year. I also enjoy looking at the prize winning chickens, which I have been told, in no uncertain tones, by Stephanie, not to buy! Outside these barns is a Gazebo where a local band are playing some pretty nice Bluegrass. All in all, it is pretty idyllic.

There is a grandstand with a track for racing, and the commercial exhibits and marketplace are located in the middle of the track. Walking back up the hill toward the entertainment tent are the more historical exhibits, there are revolutionary soldiers and ladies dressed in old-fashioned dresses demonstrating wool spinning and such like. There is also a logging demonstration, and a couple of ancient tractors, very much an old-fashioned Vermont showcase.

The other important building is the Maple Shack, both Lamoille County Field days and Champlain Valley Expo have one of these too. Vermont has the best Maple syrup in the world and these Maple shacks are stocked with Maple sugar products and syrups, one of the most popular products being the Maple cotton candy, yummy! Here in Tunbridge the line is long, so get there early.

Saturday is huge, Sam, Meghan and Nora arrive early and have good seats for my show. I'm the first comedy juggler Nora has seen, it's all very cute. We hang out for a little after the show, but not for too long, as Sam has a list of "fair food" to sample. The fair is incredibly busy, the line of cars to enter the fair is over an hour long and still more are coming.

As I said, the Tunbridge fair has a backstory. It used to be famous as a "drunkards reunion," with "girlie-shows" (strip shows) and unlimited alcohol. Nowadays, it's far more family friendly, but there is still a fair bit of drinking, especially on Saturday night, fortunately, there is no longer any fighting.

It takes me a good long while to get out of the fair on Saturday evening, I'm shocked by the numbers still coming in. I spend the night in a cute little historical hostel in Vershire, it's only 20 minutes away and my first show is at 10 am on Sunday. Going back to the Shire and Tolkien theme, there are walking trails here called the Rivendell trails, it is all incredibly pretty though, Vermont is a truly beautiful state, and I am very lucky to live there.

Sunday at the fair is famed for the tractor pull, if you have never seen one of these events you are missing out on something magical. The track has literally hundreds of tractors lined up all around it, new ones, old ones and some very old ones. Their riders and owners are all very proud, and there is a continual hum from the engines which makes the ground shake. Every 5 minutes or so, there will be a great roar from the engine of the tractor pulling the sled (the sled is a large agricultural looking machine, probably weighing a couple of tons or more), usually accompanied by bellows of black smoke as each tractor driver pulls the sled as quickly as possible over the short course. This event goes on all day Sunday at the Tunbridge fair. It really is a sight to be seen.

Sunday's shows are all fun, and I am all done by 2.30 pm. I say a fond farewell to the Ed Larkin Contra dancers, and we take a picture together. Wayne (the man who booked me) hands me a cheque and I congratulate him on his retirement from the Post Office. His last day was the Wednesday before the fair. "What are you going to do now"? I ask. "I haven't a clue"! He replies. We both laugh.

It really has been a wonderful fair, but I am also keen to get back home, as I have a flight from New York City to Germany on Tuesday night. Fortunately, for once, home is only a short drive away!