100th Anniversary of the Sandwich Fair retains time-honored elements

SANDWICH — This weekend, as in every other Columbus Day weekend in memory, thousands of people will travel to this small town, nestled between Squam Lake and the White Mountain National Forest, to take in the Sandwich Fair. This year, the fair will feature a few new attractions, such as a women's skillet toss competition, a lumberjack contest and a lawn tractor pull, along with the usual favorites, such as the agricultural dsiplays and the carnival midway.

A century ago, though, where historian Joan Cook finds the roots of the fair, there was just a bunch of local farmers who wanted a chance to show, sell and trade their cattle. The first such gathering was held in 1886, which also featured a band and a baby contest, in which prizes were awarded to the prettiest, heaviest and best-dressed baby. An estimated 3,000 people attended.

Cook is a native of Sandwich who grew up in the center of the village. In modern years, the fair is held within the 70-acre parcel in the middle of town owned by the Sandwich Fair Association, but for the early years the fair happenings were spread throughout the town. "I always felt I grew up in the middle of the fair," recalled Cook. "The fair, when we were kids, it was number one, right next to Christmas."

Cook, a member of the Sandwich Historical Society, is paying tribute to her hometown tradition by researching and writing a history of the fair, which she hopes will be published in time for next year's fair. Her working title is "100 Years of the Sandwich Fair."

After that first gathering of farmers and their oxen, subsequent fairs were sporadic, sometimes leaving several years between fairs. As they progressed, though, they began to add new attractions. The baby contests appeared to be popular and persisted through the early fairs. There was a "coon hunt" advertised one year, as well as a grand ball.

For several years, the Grange Hall held a checkers tournament, which saw 1944 as its most notable tournament. In that fair, checkers heavyweight Willy Ryan attended the tournament and, according to reports of the time, he played 15 opponents simultaneously, while blindfolded.

While many of the fair happenings have been discontinued – such as political speakers, good riddance – there are also many elements of today's fair which have been included since the early days. Small stands or tables selling food, variety shows, the fair parade, exhibitions of prized animals, vegetables and handiwork. Horse and oxen pulling are also a perennial favorite – Cook remembers lying in bed and hearing the oxen pulling going well into the night, the cheering perhaps made the more exuberant by over-ripe apple cider.

The fairs became a yearly event in 1910, when the Sandwich Town & Grange Fair association took over the management of the fair. The midway, with its ferris wheel and game booths, first started appearing in the 1940s, which is when Cook estimates the modern version of the fair first took shape.

The fair hasn't changed much since then, said Cook, "except, it's grown." In 1981, the fair was extended to two days for the first time, and became a three-day fair in 1988. By 1997, fair attendance was estimated at 50,000, which is about what organizers expect to see this weekend.

"The fair has done a lot for the town," noted Cook, referring to a refurbishing of the town-owned Concord Coach, which is prominently featured in the fair parade. The fair association has also contributed to the purchase of fire equipment and has helped the town recover from a destructive flood. In addition, school and civic groups have benefitted from the fair by selling parking spaces or selling food.

How has it persisted over the years? "It's been a realy active group of people, a lot of dedicated people have run this fair," said Cook. For example, the current fair association president, Earl Peaslee, has been active in the association for 25 years and president since 1990. His tenure is not unusual, either, when compared to previous association presidents.

The Sandwich Fair is not the largest fair in the state, or the oldest, but for some people it occupies a special place in the schedule of New England country fairs.

As Cook noted, it's the latest such fair in the year. "It's sort of the last hurrah before winter," she said. Beyond that, though, is something more substantial.

"It's just the traditions," she said. In a world that seems to change faster by the passing of each year, the Sandwich Fair has sought to keep its intrinsic character even as it evolves.

"It's stuck with the old-fashioned theme, lots of animals, which I think is important, how it was in the beginning. It's about the farmers, the agricultural end of things," Cook said.

Peaslee reported that the association has conducted surveys of fair goers, and while some say they come for the midway, others for the working animal pulls, he said one word kept appearing in responses. "Tradition, that's why they come back," he said. Summer residents return for one last Lakes Region weekend, parents who came to the fair with their grandparents bring the next generation for their first taste of fried dough and an up-close look at farm animals.

Peaslee said people will come from as far away as the western states or even the United Kingdom. "Their parents came, they come."

As the weekend forecast calls for bright skies and crisp air, and with fair schedule full of things to see and do, Cook was starting to get that old feeling again. "It's going to be a good fair," she said.

CAPTION for FAIR HISTORY in AA:

Sandwich Fair Association President Earl Peaslee and fair historian Joan Cook flip through old fair photos at the fair's history booth. This year will mark the 100th Anniversary of the fair. (Laconia Daily Sun photo/Adam Drapcho)

CAPTION for FAIR MIDWAY in AA:

Tim Coz, of Syracuse, N.Y., stocks prizes into the "Mash a Mouse" booth in preparation for the 100th Anniversary of the Sandwich Fair this weekend. The fair has featured a midway for most of those years. (Laconia Daily Sun photo/Adam Drapcho)