Photos provided by Bozena Guminiak
Crowds came out in droves, happy to see this tradition continue! We even had the Governor of Connecticut stop by on Saturday and socialize with those attending the Fair. Several other local politicians were present and enjoyed the fair.
The beautiful sunny opening day, cooled off with a cloudy & intermittent sprinkling Sunday. However, that did not prevent, many from taking advantage of all the Fair had to offer. There was something for everyone to enjoy at the Fair – the wide variety of foods, handmade crafts, dog competitions, music and children’s activities!
An addition this year, allowed fairgoers to sit in the shade, under the new “Big Top” tent, well maybe not that big – but it was an adequate size to supply shade for folks! Suffield Music, an annual favorite – presented a variety of local music talent, as the fairgoers, sat and enjoyed their favorite foods. For a tasty meal, there were plenty of mouth-watering food options available such as; sausage w/peppers & onions, delicious Polish Platter, baked potatoes, fried dough, pulled pork and of course, the Rotary Chicken BBQ – are YOU looking forward to next year already???
Walking the Green, the fairgoers savored the opportunity to visit nearly 200 booths, filled with handmade arts and crafts, local organizations sharing their information/services and food! Numerous fun activities were available for “children-of-ALL-ages” such as; volleyball games, dunk tank, corn hole, Boy Scout Rope walk, demonstrations by the talented Aces High Robotics Club, inflatable bounce house and obstacle course, Girls Scout art activities and more!!
The Canine Contest, a highly anticipated and much-loved annual event, was well-attended, as always. Dogs of all breeds and sizes came out to schmooze the Canine Contest Judges to win in one of the many categories such as: “Wildest Wag”, “Dressed to Impress”, “Cutest Smile”, “We Like Big Mutts”, etc. There were a lot of ooh’s and aah’s for the participating pooches, as they walked the runway. There were also, toys and other fun prizes for all the contestants and some to bring home for their doggie friends.
New this year, was a “Petting Zoo” loved by both children and adults, alike! Roaring Acres Alpacas of Suffield, provided cute and cuddly alpacas on Sunday, while on Saturday the Madonna’s Farm of Suffield, shared their Nubian goats. Many visitors interacted with the animals and took memorable pictures with their favorite animal and human. Plans for a bigger and better “Petting Zoo” for 2023, is already in the works.
The SOTG Committee would like to give a heart-felt and special thanks to all our community volunteers and organizations that helped make this event such a success – such as the Suffield Police, Fire and Public Works Departments, Explorers, Rotary Club, Knights of Columbus, former Friends of Suffield members and the Town of Suffield!. We can’t do it without you.
Please remember to support our generous sponsors, so they can continue to support this event, including:
- Diamond: Windsor Federal Savings Bank
- Platinum: USA Hauling and Recycling
- Gold: Suffield Music
- Silver: Heritage Funeral Home, Cara Mia Med Spa, CDA Roofing & Siding, Krupa Oil, Suffield Village Market and Café Barista
- Bronze: Suffield Veterinary Hospital, Creative Clips Pet Salon and Greif Brothers
The “Big Top” has been taken down, crafters have left and the food booths are gone. Planning for the SOTG 2023 now begins. If you would like to participate next year, please reach out to Richard Sych, or Gary Guminiak, from the Suffield Knights of Columbus, or Gayle Demko, from the Suffield Rotary Club. Thanks to the partnership of both organizations, our town can continue to enjoy this long-standing town tradition. See you in 2023!