FAIR TRIP 2012 ………….…………………………………………………
2nd Annual “Fair Dream Trip 2012” By: Lynann Hudson, Florida State Fair, Tampa, FL
Since the 2011 Fair Dream Tour to Iowa, Indiana and Illinois
State Fairs was such a success last summer, the Florida Federa- tion decided to make this an annual event for Fair members. The 2012 Fair Dream Tour headed to New England on September 28, 2012. A small group of 6 arrived in Boston for an adventure of a lifetime. The group that met in Boston consisted of Lisa Hinton, Executive Director, David Viers & Thom Giordano from Volu- sia County Fair, Dan & Tracy West from Manatee County Fair and myself. Rhonda Ward and Laura Holland from the Collier County Fair joined the group along the way. Our first stop was
to West Springfield, Massachusetts and ―The Big E‖. The Eastern States Exposition is a combination of 6 New England states – Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and Rhode Island. The Tour actually went to the Fair twice, Friday evening (in the rain – but the Fair was packed with fairgoers) and Saturday morning. Lisa wanted to make sure everyone had a chance to see what they wanted and no one was rushed! One of the most interesting areas on the grounds is the State Buildings. Each of the 6 states own and operate their own histori-
the time we were in the building, they had five dif- ferent shows going on – S h e e p , Llama, Dairy Goat, 4-H Dog and a Swine Judg- ing Contest. It was amazing that
the
shows were not interfering with each other. The sound systems were at the correct level that when you were watching one show, you were not distracted by the noise of the other shows. It was impressive to watch everyone working together and realizing the importance of each show. Also in this area at the Big E is ―Farm-A-Rama‖. This exhibit was full of educational agricultural displays. A fairgoer could see the Chick Hatchery, the giant pumpkins, Landscaping Creations by the talented FFA Youth, a Butter Sculpture and play several educational games for kids of all ages. On Saturday afternoon, the group hit the road for Portland,
Maine. The group decided to take the scenic route instead of trav- eling the interstate. So on our way, we stopped at a Massachu- setts farm. Lisa and I picked fresh raspberries and David picked fresh apples. It was something that this ―Florida Girl‖ had never done – they were soooo tasty! Once we made it to Portland, David gave us a class on ―How to
properly eat Maine Lobster 101‖. He was a great teacher and the lobster was delicious.
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cal building. The first building was built in 1919 and the sixth build- ing was built in 1957. So these building have a lot of history and have had a lot of visitors over the years. These buildings were built to promote the agriculture and industry for each state. They give the fairgoers the oppor- tunity to experience the specialties of each state. We had Maple Cotton Candy in Vermont and a Lobster Rolls in Maine. We got to taste and see what each state has to offer. The agricultural area was just as spec-
tacular. Their livestock animals are housed in the Mallory Complex. During
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