Holding true to its agricultural roots: Bolton Fair celebrates its 140th year this weekend

Veer Mudambi, Worcester Telegram & Gazette
·2 min read
In a 2022 file photo, Jane Marshall of Shirley treats her goat, Declan, as she and Carolyn Mason get her family farm's goats ready for the goat show at the Bolton Fair.
In a 2022 file photo, Jane Marshall of Shirley treats her goat, Declan, as she and Carolyn Mason get her family farm's goats ready for the goat show at the Bolton Fair.

LANCASTER - The Bolton Fair celebrates its 140th year this weekend, running Friday to Sunday at Lancaster Fairgrounds.

Though having come a long way from its humble beginnings in 1874, it has held true to its roots as an agricultural fair with animal shows and agriculture exhibits at its core.

While fair manager Rose Darden may not have been around from the beginning, having been a part of the fair for the last 35 years, she has watched it expand to include a wide variety of entertainment, from live music to demolition derbies, and this year, Monster Truck and BMX bicycle shows.

“The demolition derbies on Friday and Saturday nights were never a part of the fair before we moved to Lancaster (from Bolton),” said Darden.

In a 2022 file photo, Colm O'Connor of Sutton holds onto Clara Clover as she is brushed pre-show for the Sutton Preservationist 4-H at the Bolton Fair.
In a 2022 file photo, Colm O'Connor of Sutton holds onto Clara Clover as she is brushed pre-show for the Sutton Preservationist 4-H at the Bolton Fair.

Though these events are a major draw, Darden is a firm believer in oldies but goodies.

“I go back to the roots,” she said. “The animal shows and the hall exhibits, that’s where a lot of talent is displayed.”

Crafting demonstrations such as blacksmithing, a farrier, woodworking, lacemaking and weaving will all be on offer, she added, along with hands-on opportunities for visitors.

Farmyard friends

In addition to events like pig racing and frisbee dogs, young farmers from all over New England will bring their prize animals to the fair including sheep, goats, cows and even rabbits. Friday and Saturday will be the Youth Sheep Show with the Open Sheep Show Sunday. Youth and open rabbit shows are planned for Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

The Bolton Fair traditionally hosts representatives from the Livestock Conservancy, who bring rare or endangered livestock species, or heritage breeds, for educational purposes. This year two rare duck breeds, Indian runners and buffs will be shown at the poultry tent.

Parking will follow the same setup, with shuttle buses providing transportation from the parking lot to fairgrounds and guest pick up and drop off at Gate 2 on Route 117. The address for the parking lot is 1450 Lunenburg Road, Lancaster, located across from Kimball Farm.

A full schedule of events is available online, something else that still feels relatively new to Darden.

"The fact that you can buy your tickets online and that we now have QR codes all over the place (feels new),” she said.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Holding true to agricultural roots: Bolton Fair celebrates 140 years