In the South Shore, THE culminating summer event is the Marshfield Fair, or as locals in town call it, “The Fair,” as if there is no other. The Marshfield (MA) Fair is a classic agricultural fair filled with animals, entertainment, amusement rides, games, and loads of fried food. A sin in many’s eyes, I had never been to the Marshfield Fair, but in 2022 I saw the error of my ways and to the fair, we went. Additionally, this was the first outing for my youngest son, Charlie, (although he is way too young to remember any of it).
Mooing Our Way to the Fair
Of course, the rides struck a chord with my kids from the moment we stepped foot on the grounds. “Whoa” and “hold your horses” (literally) my wife said with excitement since our first stop had to be the animals. We all enjoyed viewing prized cows and other farm animals. In a nearby barn, my three-year-old was awestruck by the model train exhibit. He could have watched it go around all day.
Rides
Finally, it was riding time. The amusements run the gamut from kiddie rides to thrill rides that I would never want to even think about doing. Luckily, my kids are still on the younger side, so these I could handle. Danny and I started at the bumper cars, where he enjoyed smashing and bumping into everyone he could.
I took both boys on the merry-go-round, which pleased them. They also enjoyed the kiddie rides that I was way too big to fit on. These included a mini train, a small roller coaster-esque ride, and cars that go around in circles.
Fair Food
Of course, we ate our way through the fair. Cotton candy for the kids and fried dough for me (it’s just a rite of passage at a fair). Given the heat of the day, a large lemonade was also in the cards. Luckily, my kids did not fall for the games of chance. Inside the main fair building were displays from local craftspeople. We missed the “largest vegetable” exhibit, but by this time the kids were hot and tired. The entertainment lineup was great this year with headliners including blues master Tinsley Ellis.
Leaving the Marshfield Fair
All in all, we had an excellent time at the fair. Given the kids’ ages, they were not ready to try the thrill rides, but that was just fine with me. On the way out we of course had to buy a toy, a plastic sword for Danny, and a Yoshi stuffed animal for Tommy. Make sure to check out the Marshfield Fair next August!
