Two bills before lawmakers deserve pardon the pun a fair shake. Not only that, but legislators should make a commitment to the rural atmosphere that fairs represent. It's time to put real money in the land and heritage program that has been languishing in both chambers. Not long ago, the state had 22 fairs on its annual circuit. The Plymouth State Fair was the most recent casualty, folding about five years ago.
Fairs keep the state's agricultural traditions alive.
They also offer an attraction that draws about 800,000 visitors annually. For many families, it's the experience of going to a real county fair. The midway has its share of visitors, but most fairgoers also walk through the sheep barn, watch the oxen pull or ooh and ahh over the mega-vegetables on display. Experiential agriculture the hands-on opportunity to pick apples or take a hayride is growing in the Northeast. Fairs cater to that idea.