Town #97: Goshen

Goshen. One of the most agriculturally rural towns we have visited.

What it's known for: having one of the largest fairs in the state.

There are over 50 annual fairs in Connecticut each year, but Goshen's fair is a bit different in that it focuses on agriculture. Or so we hear. There are other agricultural fairs in the state, so we'll have to wait and see how this one might differ. It takes place in September; we'll check it out then.

As a footnote, Connecticut does not have a state fair. Instead, New England has what they call the Big E. The E stands for Exposition. It is the equivalent of a state fair for all six of the small states in this region. By state fair standards it's pretty enormous. If visiting New England, it's worth checking out for the experience.

Back to Goshen. Their fairgrounds get used for many other things besides the annual fair. Looking at their schedule it reads as follows: rodeo, Tibet fest, wine festival, 4-H, auto show. Such diversity! This is definitely one of the things I enjoy about Connecticut. You never know what you might find when you look around.

So, we went up for the town's annual rodeo. As I mentioned Goshen has a large fairground area. Many towns in Connecticut will do fairs in non-standard fair areas. I have experienced fairs in places such as town greens, blocked off town main streets, town fields, and even a commuter lot. I have yet to visit the really large Connecticut fairs such as Durham, Woodstock, and Hebron (which I assume have proper fairgrounds) so this was my first experience with fairgrounds in Connecticut.

New England Custom Blurb:
The fair itself was what you expect from New England fairs: carnival rides, carnival food, and carnival games. Connecticut fairs tend to focus mostly on the food category. You can get pretty much everything you could ever image to eat at a Connecticut fair. I saw one guy walk by with a 5-foot bag of popcorn, two fried doughs (THE New England staple for fair food), two bags of popcorn, and a diet coke. I personally tried the cherry limeade (quite a disappointment for a girl who grew up with Sonic cherry limeades) and a root beer float. Bruce, of course, had the basket of deep fried garlic. I can never talk him out of that.

The main event: the rodeo. Turns out the rodeo was small potatoes. Not much to say about it. The girls' drill team came out and rode in circles barely able to control their horses. Then the bull riders fell off one after another so fast almost none of them qualified. The fence was built improperly, making it virtually impossible to see. And, many people stood in front of the fence instead of sitting on the bleachers--in spite of the announcer's repeated requests not to do that--making it even more difficult to see.

We'll definitely go back to Goshen. We have the wine festival on our calendar and maybe even the official town fair. Also, we drove by this and I can barely resist a place that showcases farm animals from around the world.

Goshen stats:
Population: 3,092
Size: 45 square miles
State Parks: Mohawk State Forest
Villages/Other Communities: West Goshen
Historic Places: Goshen Historic Center, Hervey Brooks Pottery Shop and Kiln Site, West Goshen Historic District