Behind the Scenes at the Topsfield Fair
It may turn 200 in 2018, but the appeal of the Topsfield Fair, half an hour north of Boston, never gets old.
By Yankee Magazine|Aug 24 2017|
Among the many memorable images he brought back from Topsfield, Yankee senior photographer Mark Fleming has some personal standouts, including the one on this spread. “My favorite time to be at the fairgrounds was just after sunrise. Not only is the light beautiful, this is also when the farmers are tending their animals—who seem to be much more social and curious at this time of day, too. This gorgeous Texas longhorn was more than happy to pose for my camera!”
Photo Credit: Mark FlemingFrom the day this year’s Topsfield Fair opens to its closing more than a week later, some 500,000 people will stroll its fairgrounds, half an hour north of Boston. Not many will know the deep history of the oldest agricultural fair in the country. And not knowing won’t affect their enjoyment of seeing farm animals up close, or watching the oxen and horse pulls in the arena, or ogling 1,000-pound pumpkins, or taking in the aroma of fried dough and the din of the midway. But knowing the past may well add a touch of wonder. Since the 1818 founding of its organizer, the Essex Agricultural Society, the Topsfield Fair has been interrupted only by the Civil War and World War II. The fair is both timeless and timely: When so many Americans seem more connected to the cloud than to the land, we realize we need this—and all country fairs—more than ever.
Photo Credit : Mark Fleming
Photo Credit : Mark Fleming
Photo Credit : Mark Fleming
SEE MORE: More Scenes from the Topsfield Fair
I used to live in Topsfield, and that was a real big deal to go every year. When I returned from Vietnam, I made a trip from NC to Topsfield with the express wish to visit the fair. Love it, Love it!
Love to hear the history of the Fair , amazingly only shut down for civil war and another time during WWII , WOW I want to go