With traditions and new wrinkles, the Bondville Fair returns for another summer celebration

Thor and Odin dig in to pull a weighted sled during the Bondville Fair's oxen pull last year. The event, and the fair, return next weekend.

WINHALL — Every year since 1797, the people of this community have gathered to celebrate the best of their summer's hard labor and come together as friends and neighbors for some good old-fashioned fun.

This year, the Bondville Fair -- the oldest continuously operating agricultural fair in Vermont -- is celebrating its 225th anniversary. The fair will be held Friday, Aug. 25 through Sunday, Aug. 27, at the fairgrounds on Route 30.

To mark the occasion, the Winhall Industrial Society, the volunteer organization that runs the fair and owns the fairgrounds, is going all out to commemorate the milestone.

Last year's fair was memorable. According to the Winhall Industrial Society, despite being largely rained out on Friday, the fair set an all-time attendance record. Saturday attendees who arrived late in the afternoon found themselves parking not on the grounds, but wherever in Bondville they could find space.

All that considered, the fair is not setting out to break the record a second year in a row. "We're at capacity," Winhall Industrial Society Secretary Dana Popp said.

The return of some old-school activities -- including a sack race -- and special 225th anniversary merchandise will help fairgoers mark the occasion.

"We'll have some special swag commemorating the 225th anniversary custom-made for this year," Popp said. "People can come in person or reach out on the website. We'll have package deals, too - you can buy a couple different special items that all come together."

Admission remains $5 before 5 p.m. on Friday, and $10 after, $15 on Saturday and $10 on Sunday for adults, and $5 for seniors all fair long. "That includes free parking, unlimited rides, free track events and free entertainment," Popp said.

Thanks to grant funding, new LED lighting will greet competitors at the pulling track, where competitors will match the brawn of their oxen, draft horses, tractors and trucks against each other. The "Pee Wee Pedal Power Pull" for kids ages 3-9 will be held at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 27. (There's no entry fee; bring your own tricycle or toy vehicle.)

Musical entertainment will run non-stop on the John Gardner Stage all hours of the fair from Friday through Sunday, with local favorites Saints and Liars taking the stage on Friday night.

"We'll have back to back bands the entire weekend. There will be no moment where music isn't being played," Popp said.

Last year's chili and pie contests at the Ailene Norse Capen Floral Hall will expand to separate categories for professionals and home cooks.

Perhaps the most revolutionary change of all? High-speed wireless internet access -- heretofore non-existent at the fairgrounds -- has been installed.

What hasn't changed at the fair -- even as Winhall has welcomed so many new residents since the pandemic -- is that it's a place where people connect with their neighbors in a town where connections aren't always easy to make.

"[the fairgrounds are] the heart of town - this fair and the concert series," Popp said. "Anything we do on the fairgrounds, you get to meet people a lot faster and a lot more deeply. ... You get to be part of something special in a way that's unlike anything else, because it's been around so long. You get a mix of tradition and newer people who come from all over, sharing new ideas. That mix has been incredible."

In the quilting hall, the fair is planning to raffle off a 225th Commemorative Quilt. The annual quilting contest is being held -- entries are due Thursday, Aug. 24, at 5 p.m. -- and there will be antique quilts for sale, local quilts, demonstrations, a quilt evaluation booth on Sunday, and activities for kids.

Annual contests for art, crafts, produce, baked goods are being held again this year in the Floral Hall. Drop-off for entries will be held Thursday, Aug. 24, from 3 to 7 p.m. For more information on categories, see the website at bondvillefair.org/floral-hall.

Reach Greg Sukiennik at [email protected] or at 802-447-7567, ext. 119.