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SPENCER – The annual Spencer Fair kicks off Thursday (Aug. 31, 2023) evening with carnival rides only from 5-9 p.m.
Gates for the Labor Day weekend fair open at 8 a.m. Friday with the draft horse and oxen obstacle course at 9 a.m. at the grandstand.
Among the performers gracing the stage at this year’s fair is Cara Brindisi, a Worcester native who wowed coaches on The Voice last year. Brindisi made it to the knockout rounds of the singing competition in which celebrity judges choose contestants for their teams in a blind audition. The singers compete in several rounds before one takes home $100,000 and a record deal.
Brindisi will perform at 4:30 p.m. Monday on the Main Stage.
Other entertainers performing this year include Annie Brobst, Rosie Porter & the Neon Moons, The Rat Pack presented by Strictly Sinatra and others. A complete schedule is at https://www.spencerfair.org/
Lisa Lynch, a Fair Official said in addition to great music, the fair is bringing back the popular pig racing,
“People love that,” Lynch said. “And it’s back this year.”
The pigs from Hot Dog Pig Racing run through a fenced track, sometimes navigating an obstacle course, to see which is fastest. The races take place every day, throughout the fair.
As an agricultural fair, Spencer also features exhibits and competitions involving farm animals. The strength of oxen and draft horses is tested in pulling events. There are cattle shows in which cows are judged and an open poultry show and rabbit show.
Inside the exhibit halls, there are ribbons and prizes for agricultural entries including fruits and vegetables grown by the exhibitors. Flowers, eggs, crafts and photography competitions are all on display inside the exhibit hall.
For those with a love of machinery, the fair has tractor pulls and the ever-popular demolition derbies including two on Friday night with an open figure 8 at 7 p.m. followed by a 4-cylinder figure 8. A figure 8 demolition derby for six and eight-cylinder cars is slated for 5 p.m. Sunday.
As a result of some unruly behavior last year, fairgoers should expect tighter security on the fairgrounds.
There will be bag searches and a zero-tolerance policy in an effort to curb some of the problem behaviors, Lynch said.
“We had a lot of problems with alcohol last year. It was not from our beer garden but it was people showing up intoxicated,” she said.
Parking for the fair at 48 Smithville Road, is free. Admission to the event is $15. Senior citizens (over 62), military, and children ages 7-12, are admitted for $10. Weekend passes are $40. Children less than 7 years old are admitted free.