Labor Day weekend’s biggest attraction kicked off on Thursday with giant pumpkins, frisbee-catching canines and rip-roaring thrills.
The Hopkinton State Fair has returned for its 110th year. Rooted in agricultural tradition and brimming with fun, the fair is open from Thursday, Aug. 28, to Monday, Sept. 1.
Dialed Action Sports flipped, revved and soared through the Grandstand on Thursday evening with its performance of BMX and motorsports stunts. Friday brings tractor pulling and a number of animal shows, as well as live performances from musicians April Cushman and Dan Morgan and entertainers Jason Tardy and Peter Mamos.
The weekend promises horse and cattle pulling, sculpture art, comedy and the outrageous, deliciously destructive Demolition Derby. The Children’s Entrepreneur Market will grace the fair on Monday while the 4-H livestock auction takes on the show ring.
The fair began in October of 1915 as a two-day event at George’s Park in Contoocook Village. Known alternately as the ‘Hopkinton Fair’ and ‘Contoocook Valley Fair,’ it rocketed in popularity, moving to its current location behind Hopkinton High School in 1947.
Exhibits, which today range from petting zoos and farmers markets to an exploration of robotics, expanded over time, and the fair itself stretched into a five-day celebration, with Hopkinton residents guaranteed free entry on Thursday evenings for Townie Night.
Fair passes and Grandstand event tickets can be purchased online. Admission is free for military members — active duty, veterans and retirees — as well as for children under 35 months.
For more information, visit hsfair.org.