Not Fair – No Fair – No Fares .. Not So For Sandwich Fair’s Jubilee Year

PHOTO: Picture in the Sandwich Fair Program of “rig” that won a blue ribbon in one of the Fairs. Owned by Ralph Scarborough of Melrose, Mass., a former summer visitor in Sandwich.

by Robert Hanaford Smith, Sr.
Weirs Times Contributing Writer

On the first day of this year of 2020 there was no doubt a lot of anticipation of a year full of activity and excitement. There was the prospect of the celebration of our national holidays with parades and carnivals and big family get-togethers.
In an election year we expected a lot of political activity and controversy, particularly with the deep divide among Americans as to which direction we want to go as a country. We expected work and school and play to continue as usual.
We didn’t expect to be wearing masks and to have restaurants, schools, businesses and churches to be locking their doors, or to see a crisis caused by a pandemic to result in an election year political issue leading to more division rather than the unifying factor it could have and should have been.
And we expected the usual summer and fall agricultural fairs to once again be places where farmers could show off their achievements and the general public would once again enjoy the exhibits, demonstrations, competitions, and entertainment. All would wish fair weather for the various fairs with their fares offered for sale, including food fare.
Many probably feel that it’s not fair that we’ve had to do without fairs, along with other absentees in 2020, but maybe it is a time to reflect and consider why God, the Creator, has allowed this to happen this year. And you can take a little time to reflect on fairs past.
How about the Jubilee Year of the Sandwich Fair, the traditional last agricultural fair of the year. It was on October 12 of 1960 and Jubilee refers to the 50th year celebration of the Fair. The word comes from the Bible and a every fifty years observance by the Jewish nation. But the Sandwich Fair of 1960 was advertised as a Golden Jubilee and the Fair Book advised the readers that jubilee meant BIG TIME, which was what they promised those who would attend. The fair was still a one day event back then and held each year on Columbus Day, October 12th.
Fairs come and Fairs go as time passes but the Sandwich one has now more than doubled its Golden Jubilee years and I expect it will return next year. But it didn’t begin as an every year event, but one that was off and on, depending on the local interest.

Farmers got together to show, trade and sell their animals and other goods. The 1960 Sandwich Fair Programme (their spelling) told of the 1886 Fair which didn’t get much interest when first promoted but opinion were changed and on October 12 some 200 yoke of oxen descended on the town, exhibits of farm products were on display, and afternoon speakers had their say. The sponsoring of 50 Fairs from 1910 to 1960 was the result of the efforts of the members of the Sandwich Town and Grange Fair Association.
Imagine all that was packed into that one day fair in 1960. The fare to get onto the Fair Grounds in 1960 was one dollar with free admittance for children under 12, and parking was available for 50 cents. Two band concerts at 9am provided the kick-off events of the morning with the Ferdinando Band of Manchester playing in front of Town Hall and the Center Harbor Band doing the same at the Square at the upper end of the village.
At 10:30am The Grand Street Parade began at the Sunshine Farm with a variety of entries including the American Legion Posts with flags, saddle horses and horse drawn wagons, including the stagecoach, ponies, oxen, and steers, bands, school floats, automobiles, etc.
At 11am. The cattle pulling matches and horse pulling matches began simultaneously in two separate rings, and at 11;30 two more simultaneous events started, a band concert on stage by the Center Harbor Band and a horse show in the show ring.
The judging of cattle and horses began at noon, followed at 12:30 with the judging of sheep and swine. =Another band concert, this time by the Meredith High School Band, began on the green opposite the Post Office. A speaking program took place at 3pm with the Laconia High School Band escorting the speakers from the Post Office to the stage near the midway. Speakers included Governor Wesley Powell, a candidate for re-election, Mayor Bernard Boutin of Laconia, also a candidate for Governor, Chester E. Merrow of Center Ossipee and Romeo Champagne of Manchester, candidates for Congress in the First District, and Dr. Herbert W. Hill of Hanover and Styles Bridges of Concord, candidates for the United States Senate.
The stage show acts commenced at 3pm They included “ Five Acts of Vaudeville” beginning with Paula Donlan, “The Dancing Illusionist”, Don Hootoon, “The Broadway Cowboy”, a dancing comedy routine by “The Three Renowns”, Jay Nemeth and “Nicky”, a ventriloquist act, who had appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show, and “Eve Walker and Company”, featuring a British Aerialist.
One wonders if modern day agricultural fairs would survive if the midway was not part of them. The Sandwich Fair 1960 Midway rides included the Ferris Wheel, Octopus, Chair Plane, and Tilter-Whirl along with some special rides for the children. Sideshows, games, exhibits and demonstrations were all part of the entertainment offered at the Golden Jubilee Fair.
And there was the fair food. Chicken Barbecue seemed to be the main attraction in 1960, but the fair program promised many more “eating spots” including another fair favorite, fried clams.

If all the above was not enough to pack into a one day fair the American Legion sponsored Beano games. There was a Rest Tent and First Aid Station, and parents were instructed to look for lost children at the Police Center near the main entrance.
The Fair is only one of many missing events of the year 2020, but we expect many will return and history shows that people can adapt to change.
What about the sports events? No going out to the old ball park! Remember those days of old when the area had town baseball teams that would compete during the summer months? Social distancing may seem hard to maintain (and often isn’t), but signs saying Keep Back or Don’t Cross This Line, etc. are not new to us.
It may seem unfair not to be able to go to the fair, or ball games, or to have normal weddings, or to celebrate holidays as in previous years, or even enjoy church services as we are accustomed to. We are constantly calling for change even though things are constantly changing, for better or for worse.
The year 2020 will be one to be remembered, and perhaps we’ll learn something from it. Could it be that Someone is trying to tell us something?
Some things won’t survive after 2020. I expect Sandwich Fair will be back and all will be considered fair when you can attend the fair once again.

Robert Hanaford Smith, Sr., welcomes your comments at danahillsmiths@yahoo.com