durham fair

He said he didn't need any money or help or anything else, just wanted us to give him permission to set up on the front lawn. We said, 'Sure.'"
The stranger was Justin Pianka, a 13-year Civil War re-enactment participant, and his request was to set up camp - literally - in front of the Historical Society.
Pianka will be demonstrating the life and times of the Civil War with an encampment set up for the full three days of the Durham Fair. The re-enactment activist is hoping to recruit new members to the 20th Connecticut Infantry, Company E, a new re-enactment unit formed in the area.
Pianka said many of the original Connecticut infantry originated in New Haven and Middlesex counties.
"We're reliving the original unit from the Civil War," Pianka explained. "I'll be cooking over an open fire and living the life of countrymen from the Civil War era ... the whole kit and caboodle."
Pianka will be in the company of his girlfriend, Nicole Sozanski, who has been a paraplegic since she was a child, due to polio. Sozanski plans to be there throughout the period of the fair and will do so in an original 1850s wheelchair.
Sozanski portrays Pianka's wife during re-enactments and will be at the encampment to present the more feminine side of the time period.
"She's going to be showing the fashions of the era," Pianka said, "Back then, women wore five layers of clothes."
Pianka will set up camp at 7 a.m. Friday and plans to be present in full officer's uniform all three days.
"It's actually a hobby," he said. "It's an expensive hobby, to be honest," he admitted, but added it's a great experience for families. He says he will be sleeping on the ground. "(Sozanski) can have the cot, I'll rough it."
Pianka hopes to get more people involved in the process of re-enactments and says the unit for the 20th Connecticut infantry is more family-oriented than some other units.
"Some units are more male-oriented, but we think families should be involved in stuff like this ... it's like a big camping trip."
Atwell says the Historical Society will have pictures of soldiers from the Civil War era, as well as other artifacts and war drums.
The encampment will be set up just outside of the fairgrounds on the front lawn of the Historical Society.
Superintendent of the youth exhibits Kathy Ness says she is always amazed by the creativity of the entrants, as well as the increasing number of entries every year.
"It's almost like a fair within a fair," Ness said. "There are literally over 2,000 things these kids have entered."
Ness has accepted entries from as far away as New York and Maine, explaining some of the entrants have grandparents locally, and the youth sometimes ship the fruits of their labor to the grandparents, who then enter it in to the Durham Fair on the children's behalf. When the fair begins, the families come to the area and stay for the duration of the fair.
"It's a really big deal," said Ness. "(Entrants) come from all over the Northeast."
"In a way," Ness said, "traditions begin here - with the youth displays. Many of the kids who start here move on after they turn 17 and go into exhibiting in the adult categories."
Ness said her favorite part of being in charge of the youth exhibit is seeing the kids' faces on Friday morning, the first day of the fair.
"Their eyes are shining and they are often literally bouncing up and down, can't wait to get in."
The judging is done the week before the fair begins and, on Friday, the entrants finally get to come in and see which of their works of art received a ribbon. There are ribbons awarded for first, second and third place as well as "group ribbons," which are awarded for groups such as schools and churches that worked on a project collectively.
Ness said in addition to these ribbons, there is a "special" ribbon. "Kids get 'specials' when judges consider the work to be exceptional."
Though there were 20 "specials" awarded this year, Ness said she wishes she could award even more of them. "Some of the things these kids come up with are absolutely amazing."
Among the entries are pumpkin-painting, including pumpkins painted as anything from aliens to ice-cream cones; photography; woodworking; collections ranging from Boston Red Sox paraphernalia to Yu Gi Oh cards; vegetables; cooking and baking; and Legos. The nearly 50-foot by 90-foot building is covered wall-to-wall, ceiling to floor, with the creative genius of children from ages five to 17.
Ness said she absolutely loves working with the children and seeing the things they come up with. The entries increase every year according to Ness. "Year after year, I'm amazed at the creativity. ... There's always something new."
There are 2,300 "pieces" on display in the youth exhibit and Ness says it took nearly a week and the work of approximately 25 volunteers to get the displays ready for the fair. "We have great committee members," Ness said. "It couldn't happen without them."
To contact Cristina Johnson, call (860) 347-3331, ext. 222. The Durham Agricultural Fair Association, the volunteer organization that runs the Durham Fair, is gearing up for its 88th annual event this weekend and the 150,000 people that usually pass through the turnstiles for the state's largest country fair. The fair begins Friday and runs through Sunday.

Town and fair officials, fearing a recently discovered suspected flaw in the water service line for the fairgrounds might cause problems, moved quickly to install a second water main for the fairground.

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Receiving water for the first time from the Durham Water Co., the town-owned public water system, officials moved quickly to get a second water line installed to make sure there would be enough capacity to keep the water flowing for the fair. The additional water main is in place and ready for use, town officials said.

"We are very confident that was the best thing to do," said First Selectman James McLaughlin. "We are obligated to provide the water to the fair."

When the new system was inspected in advance of this year's fair, a supervisor for the association questioned whether the two-inch diameter service line would provide the flow needed, said McLaughlin. John J. Brennan Construction Co. of Hamden, the contractor for the new water system, was directed to lay a three-inch diameter water line along side the first water main, McLaughlin said.

The extra work by Brennan Construction cost $25,000, said McLaughlin. It is undetermined just who will pay for the extra work, he said.

The town's water commission, which oversees the operation of the water company, reported that the inadequate flow through the two-inch pipe resulted from a design error.

"We don't think the town should pay for it," McLaughlin said. "I do not believe the town bears any responsibility for the additional work done."

The new water main has been connected to the pump house tanks and tested, said Sanitarian William Milardo. The system most likely will provide more than enough flow for the association's needs, he added.

"We should be able to deliver more water to the fair than they had before," McLaughlin said.

A flow test on the system was scheduled for Tuesday, Milardo said. Just in case, a backup water tanker will be available as a supplemental source, he added.

Under the agreement between the association and the town, the Durham Water Co. provides the water to the fairgrounds. In exchange, the association gave the water company access to its well field and allowed construction of facilities on the fairgrounds.

This is the first year the association has received water from the water company's system. The water company started operations for its new system for the Durham Center in August
People strolling down the hill stopped and gazed in wonder at the 11-pound, super-sized, 2-year-old bunny. Honkey Tonk won best in breed in the rabbit exhibit due to being the only Checkered Giant rabbit in the competition.
"They are hard to breed," Coltey said. "Mostly because of their size, but also because of their unique markings."
Honkey Tonk has very defined markings that resemble the colors of a skunk, only in reverse.
"It's hard to breed them because you never really know what you're going to get."
Coltey explained the Checkered Giant is notorious among rabbit breeders for being ornery and even aggressive.
However, the breeder says it is not a fair reputation.
"It's just like any animal; if they are socialized and raised right, they end up being as friendly as any other rabbit."
At 23, Coltey has been going to fairs for more than 13 years and has won best-in-breed in most of them, as well as best-in-show twice with her Checkered Giants.
Although Coltey enters her prize-winning rabbits in nearly 20 fairs all over the country, she said the Durham Fair is her absolute favorite fair to come to.