Fair Haven Firemen’s Fair Factoids & 2021 FYI

Carousel rider at the Fair Haven Firemen’s Fair circa 1990s
Photo/Elaine Van Develde

The Fair Haven Firemen’s Fair opens tonight after a rare one-end-of-summer hiatus due to COVID-19. And with the fair known as the largest in the state has always come a lot of tradition.

There are, however, some fair traditions that have and have not endured through the years. Do you know what they are?

We do.

Did you know? …

• There used to be a high wire act on closing night? It dates back to the mid- to late- 60s and early 70s. I think Batman may have actually been there, too.

• There also used to be a band playing nightly on the front balcony of the firehouse. The bands King James and His Court and Pete Galatro’s Orchestra were staples. And, in later years, there was carnival music piped onto the grounds. Notice that there is no longer any music?

• Candy apples, a longtime fair treat, are no longer made and sold at the fair. Neither are the waffle ice cream sandwiches.

• There used to be a booth where you could win Kewpie dolls and many of them served as toilet paper covers, with embroidered or crocheted skirts to cover the roll. Who remembers the Kewpie?

• There was also a booth where television sets and other smaller appliances were prizes. Anyone remember how much it was to play that booth?

• There was no super 50/50 with a cash prize in the tens of thousands. There was a car, SUV, and even boat raffle at one time or another.

• There was a carousel ride. Guess who was caught watching it go ’round and ’round in the 90s and was known to be a fair regular?

• The Zipper has been a fair ride since the dawn of time. It will return again this year.

• Sizzler was also a fair staple ride. Remember that one? Anyone know when it disappeared?

• Kids “working the fair” in the daytime got “tickets” that had a cash value for food and/or rides. Remember how much they were worth and how they worked?

• For decades, every night before the fair starts, the crew from Majestic Midways, the folks who bring the rides, had gathered together in a prayer circle/moment of reflection, as with a cast before a show. Do they still do this?

Who can recall some other tidbit of tradition gone or enduring?

What’s changed this year and what you need to know …

Fair Haven Firemen’s Fair rides out front of the 1990s
Photo/Elaine Van Develde

• Something that’s not changed for a very long time is the location of the fair. It’s on the firehouse grounds at 654 River Road, or the corner of Battin and River roads, in Fair Haven.

• The fair hours and days of operation are Friday, Aug. 27 and Saturday, Aug. 28 with a night off on Sunday and an additional near full week’s run from Monday through Saturday. Hours are 6 to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 6 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

• There is no famed seafood dining room/tent this year for pandemic safety’s sake. With the elimination of the fried fresh seafood dining experience will come a lack of lines that jut from the outside tent and takeout window to the street and sometimes down the block. With the lack of the seafood comes a lack of the famous fair clam chowder.

There will be the usual fair strolling food at the Outback, and the takeout window up front will feature some new/replacement items. Check it out …

• As far as rides go, yes, the Zipper is returning! However, to keep lines to a minimum, Majestic has created a new ticket system, like a credit card. Sales of the cards are conducted during the day.

Check it out by clicking here.

Generations of Fair Haven Fire Department folks have worked the fair for decades. Tradition. Some things never change.

See you at the fair!