Grange Fair returns for its 132nd year
Produce displayed to be judged. Photos by Kat Sheridan
Daniel, 9, explores some of the prizes. 
Joseph from Ingoldsby Orchards cuts some apples for tasting. 
The bee keeping exhibit. 
The flower display. 
Addy and Elly DuBois, 10, play the doll game. 
The antique coins at the Dartmouth Historical Society. 
John Garcia shows engraving techniques. 
Some of the produce on display. 
The preserves and honey on display. 
The kids' pumpkin crafts. 
Samuel, 7, looks at the prizes. 
A smocked dress. 
Nina, who creates the quilts. 
A quilt showing one of Nina's dachshunds. 
Nina's quilts on display. 
The award winning celery.
Produce displayed to be judged. Photos by Kat Sheridan
Daniel, 9, explores some of the prizes.
Joseph from Ingoldsby Orchards cuts some apples for tasting.
The bee keeping exhibit.
The flower display.
Addy and Elly DuBois, 10, play the doll game.
The antique coins at the Dartmouth Historical Society.
John Garcia shows engraving techniques.
Some of the produce on display.
The preserves and honey on display.
The kids' pumpkin crafts.
Samuel, 7, looks at the prizes.
A smocked dress.
Nina, who creates the quilts.
A quilt showing one of Nina's dachshunds.
Nina's quilts on display.
The award winning celery.
The Dartmouth Grange 162 has been hosting the annual Grange Fair for 132 years now, and this year was no different.
Each year, the Grange raises around $6,000 from the fair for things such as the kitchen and events, but also for their scholarship fund.
The fair was started in 1894, originally in conjunction with the Westport Grange. There was a spring and a fall fair, but the fall fair was the more popular option.
“Generations of families have been coming to the fair,” said Sam Manley, a retired Grange president, “It’s really nice to see all the neighbors and … meet news faces.”
According to him, this year was a bit smaller as the weather and deer were not good for gardening.
“But we couldn’t have asked for a nicer weekend,” said Manley, “Crowds have been great, we’re having fun.”
This did not stop people from entering all types of gardened goods, from flowers like dahlias and yarrows, to home grown vegetables and fruits to baked goods with their recipes. There was even an oddity category, with “pink lemonade blueberries.”
Upstairs, a local artist Nina showcased her quilts that had designs of her dachshunds on them using hundreds of pieces of cloth to create a detailed image. Kids submitted decorated pumpkins, one of which even sported a dead junebug and bumblebee. Others submitted crafts like a miniature house and a smocked dress.
This year, they handed out a special ribbon in honor of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence; the “Award of Excellence.” This was given to many things, such as some honey, a large celery and a rhubarb pie.
The grange started with a pie eating contest on Friday, Sept. 11, with a younger and older category. Brin Silva won the younger contest and Nate Mathias won the older contest.
As always, kids got to experience some old-fashioned games like hatchet throwing (with plastic hatchets and a bristle target,) ring toss and more for a chance to win tickets for prizes.
The Dartmouth Historical Society also hosted copies of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the BIll of Rights. There were also old coins available to see, and re-enactor John Garcia showed old engraving methods.
There was also a bee demonstration and apple testing from the Ingoldsby Orchards in Westport. The apple testing had all varieties of apples from all decades.
Daniel, age 9, said his favorite part was the tickets, the apples and the fresh made food.
“It’s not bad,” he said about the fair.
