“We are plugging along and on track to bring a good fair and Mother Nature will take care of the rest,” said Kris Shultz, one of the event organizers.
The fair will have its usual mix of signature foods, crafts, demonstrations, live entertainment and kids’ activities with some fresh attractions.
“It’s the familiar fair with new and different experiences. People want the familiar and new and interesting things, and we’ve done our due diligence to bring those,” he said.
Credit: Tom Gilliam
Credit: Tom Gilliam
The food will include fair favorites like pork chops and scotch eggs but also pop in a new classic – kettle corn 18th century style from a recipe recently discovered by one of the vendors. The tavern will have adult beverages, and the popular coffee house will have various hot drinks.
There will be new artisans along with several returning from last year to demonstrate skills necessary for those living in the late 18th century. The Native American village will have an increased Native American presence with more artisan work in that realm.
Credit: Tom Gilliam
Credit: Tom Gilliam
“Our goal is for visitors to be educated and broaden their view of the people present at the time,” said Shultz.
Liveries will show what it was like raising animals, and live entertainment will show what the people of the time enjoyed before television, movies and radio.
The militia camp will capture the feel of military life, and the popular battle recreations always get visitors’ attention. Cannon fire can take some visitors by surprise, but was a natural sound of the times.
The nonprofit organization George Rogers Clark Heritage Association, which puts on the Fair at New Boston, is made up of those with a common interest in preserving the history of the times and the participants were once spectators who love sharing this with visitors, Shultz said.
An education day on the Friday prior to the public fair will give area students a chance to experience a recreation of the period and maybe enhance their appreciation of what went before.
“Why get history from a two-dimensional book when you can get a live person,” Shultz said. “We welcome anyone who wants to be a participant in the fairs to join our organization.”
Gate adult tickets cost $15 for single-day or $20 for two-days; $12 for single or $17 for two days for active-duty military, veterans and first responders with proper ID; and $6 for single or $9 for two days for kids ages 6-15.
For more information, go to grcha.org.
Credit: Tom Gilliam
Credit: Tom Gilliam
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