Kids activities, great music, fabulous food, awesome artwork — and a beer garden, too. Experience all of this (and more) at the first-ever New Fairfield Town Fair.
The free event is scheduled for this Saturday, September 7th from 12-6 pm, and promises to have something for everyone.

Formerly known as New Fairfield Day, this will be the first time that New Fairfield’s Pa
rks & Recreation is running the show. “The first selectman’s office used to run it,” says Jane Stagno, Program Coordinator at New Fairfield’s Parks & Rec. “They were looking for a change and asked us if we would like to organize it.”

And organize it, they did. Parks & Rec has created an event that showcases over 50 local businesses and organizations. “This was a big undertaking,” says Stagno. “We wanted to showcase everything New Fairfield has to offer and to celebrate the town.”

Kids are totally covered at the New Fairfield Town Fair. “There are lots of free activities for kids at the Town Fair,” says Linda Lull, Director of Recreation. In addition to a bouncy house, there will be a children’s area with f
ace painting, sand art, and balloons. And for a walk on the wild side, kids can get up close and personal with all sorts of creatures during Nature Nick’s Live Animal Show. It will run for half an hour three times during the event.

Kids can climb aboard the fire rescue boat from Squantz Pond. They can also speak with the firefighters about how it works and get to explore the vessel, too. Plus, Public Works (which handles the roads and plowing in town) will be bringing big-rig equipment, such as a dump truck or bulldozer for kids, to touch and see what it does. An assortment of fire trucks will be on display at the Fair, too.

As for the adults, Parks & Rec has transformed the Town Fair into a true marketplace. “It will look like a flea market with rows and rows of tables so that residents can go shopping,” says Stagno. There will be vendors present from all over town, which are mostly organizations and businesses in New Fairfield.

To entertain you as you peruse potential purchases, you can listen to some musical artists at the Town Fair. In addition to a performan
ce by the New Fairfield High School Rebel Clefs Acapella Group, there will be two live bands: Indigo Sway, and the Halen Tribute Band.

The New Fairfield Town Fair will also feature an Art Wal
k. “Many of the artists are from the Candlewood League of Artists,” says Lull. And if you happen to fall in love with a piece of artwork, luckily the art pieces are available for purchase. Proceeds from the art walk/ sale will benefit Preserve New Fairfield.

For history buffs, stop by the historic properties of the Parsonage and Hubbell House Museum located behind the New Fairfield Senior Center. Parks and Recreation also encourages fair goers to take a ride to Great Hollow Nature Preserve, located at 225 Route 37 on the New Fairfield and Sherman line. With a warm, sunny day in the forecast, it will be a great day for a tour of the grounds or an outdoor hike.

All that shopping might make you a little parched. When grown-up beverages are a must, look no further than the Beer & Wine Garden by ICONS. The beer garden will be situated in
its own separate corner with fencing, so you won’t have to worry about your children wandering into the adults-only section.

And to satisfy rumbling tummies, food can be purchased from food vendors such as ICONS, Candlewood Creamery, The NF Food Center, DAWG House Dogs, and Litchfield Distillery. “We’re encouraging visitors to come for both lunch and dinner,” says Stagno. “We have lots of food vendors, so we want to support them.”

The New Fairfield Town Fair is expected to attract well over 1,000 visitors. A rain date is set for the next day, Sunday, September 8th, but there are great expectations for the success of the Town Fair. “We are hoping for good weather so that the public can come out and enjoy this wonderful event we put together for New Fairfield,” says Lull.

Please call New Fairfield Parks and Recreation at 203-312-5633 if you would like to participate or find out more information about the New Fairfield Town Fair.

By Jennifer Parris