What’s new at the old Franklin County Fair?
Plenty, as it turns out: Extreme pogo stuntmen, jump-roping and tightrope-walking dogs, and late night trivia, for starters.
But those who come back for “old” favorites won’t be disappointed. Back again this year is the Coleman Brothers Midway, Stoney Roberts’ Demolition Derby, racing pigs, the Baby Barnyard, and the homegrown food and crafts exhibits at The Roundhouse.
The wonderful mix of old and new comes to America’s “oldest continuously operating county fair” from today through Sunday.
The fairgrounds on Wisdom Way open today at 3 p.m., although most people enjoy watching the annual “kick-off” parade from the streets of downtown Greenfield beforehand. This year’s parade has nearly 100 entries to “Bring the Whole Herd,” which is the theme of this year’s fair. The parade starts at Greenfield Middle School and continues through the center of town, ending at the fairgrounds.
The fair’s newest canine performers are a dog troupe called “Mutts Gone Nuts,” and they’ve gone way beyond catching Frisbees. “From shelter to show biz” is just one of the monikers for these rescue dogs. They are also billed as a “comedy dog show thriller.”
Joan and Scott Houghton, two of the three dog owners and trainers, performed at the Franklin County Fair in the 1990s with a juggling act.
“It’s going to be fun to come back with a different act,” Scott Houghton said.
Houghton said the performing dogs all come from dog rescue groups throughout the country,
“All the dogs in the show have been fostered by us at one time,” he said, adding that they find “forever homes” for the dogs that can’t learn the stunts. There are nine dogs in the show, but the Houghtons and Samantha Valle, the third trainer, own about 20 dogs altogether.
“Some dogs are retired or are seniors, while some are kind of on the bench, working on their stuff, for next year,” he said.
A few do Frisbee tricks, while others roll barrels or walk astride a rolling barrel. Charlie, a Jack Russell, walks a tightrope.
Feather, a 3-year-old Greyhound, is one of this year’s stars. According to Houghton, Feather holds a Guinness World Record for canine high jumps.
“The record, for a decade, was 68 inches,” he said. In February, he said, Feather set a new high, at 75.5 inches.
Among Mutts Gone Nuts’ accolades are sold-out shows, national TV coverage and a rave review from the late First Lady Barbara Bush who said of their performance, “I laughed until I wept.”
Speaking of Guinness World Records, members of the Xpogo Stunt Team hold 13. Two team members will be showing off some of the team’s pogo back-flips and hands-free pogoing at the fair.
Among the team players’ world records are: fastest mile on a pogo stick (7 minutes, 40 seconds); most consecutive jumps (88,047) and highest back-flip (9 feet, 3 inches). Ryan O’Malley, a 15-year pogo stunt expert, holds the Guinness World Record for most no-handed back-flips on a pogo stick.
Also at the fair will be Harry White, a Canadian athlete who took up pogoing at the relatively late age of 18. According to Xpogo spokesman Daniel Brown, White saw a Xpogo stunt man on TV, and decided this was something he wanted to do.
White “has a background in cheerleading, so it was a natural fit for him,” Brown said. “He pogos more than just about anyone else and has crept into the top tier of pogo athletes. He really likes front flips.”
Brown said the internet and the invention of the pneumatic pogo stick have really made extreme pogoing what it is today.
“Extreme pogo-sticking has always existed in some form, but it wasn’t until 2001 that (pogo-jumpers) were able to use the internet to connect with each other,” Brown said.
Xpogo began as an online forum for pogo-enthusiasts. Then the pneumatic, air-powered pogo stick took the sport to new heights. Brown said the team uses Vurtego pogo sticks, which enable 6-foot to 7-foot jumps. The current world record for pogo jumps, Brown said, is 11 feet, 2 inches.
Tonight also debuts the fair’s first Late Night Trivia contest, from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. in the Craft Tent. Only 70 seats are available, on a first-come, first-served basis, and doors open at 8 p.m. The trivia contest costs $5 per person, and teams can have up to six participants. There are food and cash prizes.
Friday opens with senior bingo, and the afternoon shows of Swifty Swine racing pigs, Mutts Gone Nuts, Xpogo, and the rides and games of the 102-year-old Coleman Bros. Midway. At 6:30 p.m. the truck and tractor pull begins.
Highlights Saturday include a hot dog eating contest by Tom’s of Whately, a youth trivia challenge at 6 p.m. and Stoney Roberts Demolition Derby, beginning at 6 p.m. at the Grandstand. A demolition derby will be held at the same time Sunday.
The fair comes alive with the sounds of sirens Sunday at noon, when the annual EMS Parade starts at the Greenfield Fire Station and proceeds to the fairgrounds, where a firefighters’ muster is held. Expect fire trucks, personnel and rescue equipment from departments throughout the region.
On Sunday, the Hager’s Farm Market fried dough eating contest starts at about 3:30 p.m. Contestants will quickly work their way through sweet creamy mounds the size of dinner plates.
In the realm of music, fiddler favorite Zoe Darrow and the exotically costumed Crescent Dancers perform Middle Eastern dance for fairgoers tonight. On Friday, hear the high-energy blues of the Wildcat O’Halloran Band and Top 40 tunes with Dexter Marsh and the Jurassics.
Saturday’s performers include the Celtic Heels School of Irish Dance, and The Duh Band, a dance band that plays classic rock. Sunday’s round-up includes the Greenfield Military Band, Ask Wanda, a jazzy sophisticated pop group, and ends with Matt Kim’s Academy of Rock students at 7 p.m.
For the fair’s younger crowd, there is a children’s tent in the infield, which is filled with toys and games, along with a private area for nursing mothers and for changing diapers.
Prices at the gate are $10 per adult, $7 for seniors ages 60 and older, $8 per youth, and free for children up to age 8. Parking is $5, but is free for seniors on Friday.
There is a free shuttle bus Saturday and Sunday to the fairgrounds, stopping at Court Square and the Davis/Chapman Street parking lot (behind Wilson’s Department Store). The bus leaves the main gate every half-hour.