Putnam - Southbridge Evening News

A6 • Friday, September 03, 2010
PUTNAM VILLAGER
Locals turn out en masse...
BY MATT SANDERSON
VILLAGER STAFF WRITER
BROOKLYN — The 161st Brooklyn Fair
maintained a steady pace through midday
last Sunday when the heat began to climb.
“We’ll take that,” said Rick Hermonot,
president of the Windham County
Agricultural Society (WCAS). “We had an
awesome fair. The weather was perfect. It got
a little hot on Sunday.”
He said temperatures topped at 93 degrees
at the fairgrounds, which may have led to
fewer attendees. Hermonot estimated the
2010 fair saw around 95,000 people.
“Thursday, Friday and Saturday were perfect,”
he said. “It was chilly at night. People
like to eat when it’s chilly. The vendors were
happy.”
With a 2009 Brooklyn Fair that brought
damp weather from a tropical storm, this
year’s fair saw mostly low humidity and
pleasant temperatures.
“Sunday was a little lighter than we had
hoped,” added Hermonot about the turnout.
“But after the rain last year we were due for
good weather. We had absolutely great teamwork.”
For the second consecutive year, the
Brooklyn Fair had fireworks at night.
“I heard comment after comment that that
it was the best they had seen all summer,”
said Hermonot. “Some said it was the best
they’ve ever seen. On our Facebook page, there
were tons of comments on the fireworks, with
people saying they were awestruck.”
Hermonot said the fireworks need to be a
regular fixture at the fair in the future.
“We’ll make them bigger and better every
year, to be the best fireworks show in Southern
New England,” he said, adding that WCAS is
talking their fireworks vendor about “kicking
ADAM MINOR PHOTOS
At left, Henry, Job, 7, of Windham, takes a turn on the rock wall. Above, From left, Nicki Davidson, Lillian
Regan, Jenna Davidson and Ashlyn Cimochowski, all of Canterbury, take a turn sitting on a horse. Below,
Rick Hermonot, president of the Windham County Agricultural Society, speaks to a crowd on the main stage
during the Brooklyn Fair last Friday, Aug. 27. Below left, A sunset view of the Ferris wheel at the Brooklyn
Fair Saturday, Aug. 28.
it up” in the coming years. “We had patriotic
music playing during the fireworks. It made
you proud to be an American. That will be a
big part of the fair going forward.”
Hermonot said the expanded children’s
Playland Village continued to be a success over
last weekend. It was complete with a childsized
main street village setting, with building
facades that introduce a role-playing activity,
such as an ice cream parlor or pizza place.
“We’ve developed our niche and we’re very
proud of it,” he said. “The kids really enjoyed
that. The family area is continuing to grow. We
added a donut-on-a-string and pie-eating contest.”
Hermonot added that they received positive
feedback with their agricultural showcase this
year.
Last Friday, Aug. 27, leaders from several
Windham County towns received certificates
of appreciation from the WCAS and the local
non-profit organization The Last Green Valley,
in recognition of naming the walking paths of
the fairgrounds after every municipality in the
county.
“Windham County is the heart and soul of
the Last Green Valley,” said Lois Bruinooge,
spokesperson for The Last Green Valley.
Matt Sanderson may be reached at (860) 928-
1818 ext. 110, or by e-mail at matt@villagernewspapers.com.
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