Topsfield Fair 2022

4th and 5th Grades visit the Topsfield Fair

On October 7, 2023, the 4th and 5th grades took the bus to the Topsfield Fair.  We started by visiting the little piggies and there learned some interesting facts:  a female pig who has had one liter receives the grand title “Sow,”, pregnancy usually lasts 3 months, 3 weeks and 3 days,  and there are about 12 piglets in a liter.  From there we  headed toward the sheep pens, but those creatures immediately cowered together in the middle of the arena, frightened by our din!  We soon learned that a little silence and some cooing go a long way to making friends with the wooly animals.  On our way to Coolidge Hall, we stopped to watch the woodturners carve spinning tops.  Many of our youngsters were lured into purchasing one.  Coolidge Hall is home to the area's fine and folk artists who have a chance to show off their handiwork.  One woman sits patiently making a complicated lace pattern; another is “diamond” painting, and a third spins a beautiful raspberry colored wool.  Other crafters show you how to make old fashioned bedspreads and table runners with “yoyos”.  We missed the man who carves wooden ocean scenes - Winslow Homer-esq -  but we did see the man who makes stained glass windows;  it is endlessly fascinating to watch the cutting knife run effortlessly over the glass without seeming to make a scratch, but then one tap and the glass breaks in two along an unseen line!  We then moved onto the highlight of the day for most participants; the Swiftly Swine pig races.  Many of our children were chosen to act as cheerleaders for the piggies!  After a satisfying lunch we visited the Bee House where we saw the worker bees busily making honey and or protecting their queen.  Already 1:10?  Yikes, we had to hightail it to the bus,  but wait!  One cannot leave the fair without stopping to take a picture with the largest pumpkin weighing in at 2,075.5 pounds!  As always, the Topsfield Fair never fails to enchant, entertain and educate!