By JUNE SULLIVAN
Long Island Fair at Old Bethpage Village Restoration, October 5-10
Those who have enjoyed the annual Long Island Fair at Old Bethpage Restoration Village are already aware of its 19th century historical experience. But to North Valley Stream resident, Jennifer Vomvas, she finds an even deeper value to this old time country fair.
"My little children do love the animals; there's a petting zoo that has exotic ones, and there are elephant rides in addition to the farm animals," she says. "But I think our family loves the fair because it offers some hint of 'agriculture-ness' in this very suburbanized lifestyle. Some may enjoy the Fair's nostalgia," she continues, "but it also helps us as a society keep track of what is involved in bringing the foods we eat and the clothes we wear to market. It is surprising, but some children don't understand that wool comes from sheep, for example."
Mrs. Vomvas explains that this whole area of Nassau County was once agricultural and this was the way locals got together with competitions over who grew the largest cucumber. "It's not so much like that today, although there are some food and animal competitions; but it is more just keeping in touch with something that we probably all long for, even if we never had it."
The Fair is, in fact, a true historical record of Long Island's heritage explains fair manager Ken Balcom of the Nassau County Department of Recreation and Parks. "It is a long-standing tradition since 1842, offering 158 years of Long Island's tradition.
"We've taken great pains to create the Fair grounds that used to be in Mineola to the way it looked in 1866," says Mr. Balcom. "The ambiance is 19th century. And being held at Old Bethpage Restoration Village, you not only get the 'old Fair' and its tradition, but you get the Village as well."
The fair manager adds that when families come to visit the Fair, it is a wonderful educational experience as well as entertainment, because the setting is an historical one. "You're not going to find a garish 'midway' and wild rides," says Mr. Balcom, "but wagons pulled by draft horses, pony and elephant rides and the recreation of a 19th century carousel with folk art style horses." He adds that the carousel is only for children to ride and is called our "Flying Horses Carousel."
Mr. Balcom describes the Fair's livestock as everything from poultry and rabbits to sheep and goats as well as many horses and a wonderful menagerie. "Our entertainment is geared toward families," he says. "We have a wonderful juggling act, singers, and dancers who appear in costume and do 19th century dancing where people can join in with them."
Fairgoers can catch a traditional 19th century "Punch and Judy" style puppet show as well as fiddlers and folk singers and a "rousing old time brass band," says Mr. Balcom. And there are contests to participate in: corn husking for children and cross-cut sawing contests for adults. In addition, there are children's games, as well as 19th century games of chance. "All of our entertainment and games are based on the type of entertainment that you could find in the latter part of the 19th century," he adds.
The Fair has become well known for its 19th century baseball games. These have appeared on national television, the cover of Smithsonian Magazine and even on television in Japan, says Mr. Balcom.
"Our old-time baseball is a very popular event. The Fair's games are playoff matches of teams that compete each summer." Mr. Balcom explains that there are 10 teams that recreate actual baseball clubs that competed on Long Island in the 1800s. "They use authentic old uniform styles as well as equipment and play under the same rules. The most impressive thing is that they play baseball without gloves, because gloves were not used at that time."
To fair organizers, the star of the Long Island Fair is what they call the "premium department," which is at the heart of any country fair. These are items that are entered by the public as competition for ribbons.
"We get thousands of entries," says Mr. Balcom. "The entries include vegetables from home gardens as well as culinary delights, hobbies, needlework, livestock and a special section for juniors (under age of 13)." Almost all are housed in the Village's 8,000 square foot recreation of the original exhibition hall from the Mineola fair grounds.
For regular visitors to the Fair, organizers add that new this year is "Sheep Herding with a Border Collie" which will take place in a new livestock demonstration ring on the Fair grounds. Joining the sheep herding demonstrations will be the Paumanok - an Indian word for Long Island - Driving Club. The club features horsedrawn carriages which will be driven around in the ring so that people get to see all the different kinds of vehicles from the "age of the horse."
The Long Island Fair at Old Bethpage Village Restoration is located one mile south of Exit 48 on the Long Island Expressway on Round Swamp Rd., and will run from October 5-10, 10 A.M. - 5 P.M. The 12-acre recreation of the old Mineola Fairgrounds is part of the 200-acre Restoration Village. Parking is free. Entrance to the Village is $10 adults, $5 children up to age 12, senior citizens and volunteer firemen and the handicapped. Entrance fee includes the Restoration Village and Fair. For more information, call 572-8400 or www.longislandfair.org.
