POWNAL, Vt. — Standing on the home of the former Green Mountain Racetrack this past weekend, retired jockey Kenneth Pruden was brought back to a time when he raced horses on those very grounds.
"Racetrack life is like carnival life in a way," he said, because of the time spent traveling with the horses.
Around him now were not noise of cheering crowds and the din of thundering hoofs, but the screams from carnival rides and the squeals of racing piglets — and all the other sounds of county fair.
The old horse and dog traffic was hosting the second annual Tri-State Fair, a charity benefit expected to draw more than 10,000 people from New York, Vermont and Massachusetts for rides, shows, demolitions derbies, exhibits and carnival acts.
Pruden estimates that he had been in approximately 1,500 to 1,600 races at the track. "This brings back a lot of memories. I won a lot of races here."
He arrived in Vermont in 1963 looking for a future in riding. "I found it all here," said Pruden, who established a career and a family in the state.
At 70 years of age, Pruden said the fair was more for families than seniors. When his daughter, Beth Burke, tried to get him to ride the carousel, he responded, "I don't have my whip with me."
Attractions
The Tri-State Fair saw performers and vendors from Vermont to Florida, with Dreamland Amusements of New York state providing many of the rides and food vendors.
Rosie's Racing Pigs had a big turnout for its act and the crowd eagerly awaited Tammy Faye Bacon, Rocky Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenbacon and Rosie's turns around the track.
Afterward, 8-week-old Yorkshire pig Rosie showed off her tricks, which included playing a toy piano, running up a ramp and jumping a miniature fence. Trainer Roger Defoe joked that next week he would have the piglet diving into a pool of water.
Defoe, an experienced circus performer, had done plate spinning in the past along with more dangerous trapeze and high-wire acts.
It would seem that working with pigs also has its dangers, as Rosie bit Defoe on the finger at one point when she was trying to get a cookie he was holding.
The Cow Town show from South Carolina showcased the bovines as well as providing educational demonstrations on milking and churning butter using traditional techniques.
The cow show originates from farms in Lynchburg, S.C., where the workers try to do everything the old-fashioned way, utilizing horse-powered equipment and only using tractors when necessary. According to Cow Town's Jim Ridenhour, the show's owner Michael Sandlofer has the largest traveling frontier show working 1800s-era farm and museum.
The stand for Frog Hollow Farm of Buskirk, N.Y., showed off its home-grown produce — free of chemicals, pesticides, hormones and antibiotics. The farm sells an assortment of fresh vegetables and fruits, along with meat and eggs.
Of course, the traditional (if not quite as healthful) fair food of corn dogs, cotton candy and fried dough was plentiful. At the Pennsylvania food vendor Candy Factory, 3-year-old Molly helped with service.
"You can come back and visit us again because you have more change," Molly said to a customer.
There was also an assortment of rides to choose from — from the tamer kiddie rides, Dizzy Dragons and Helicopter, to the wilder rides such as Dream Catcher and Zipper.
The rides didn't disappoint thrillseekers, as screams often escaped the cages on the Zipper. And many fairgoers appeared wobbly after leaving the ride.
And what fair would be complete without a circus?
The Cristiani family's outdoor Victoria Circus started the show with an "aerial ballet." Mara, performed her routine, rotating on a rope, at time hands free, several feet in the air. Next, "Miss Gena" stunned the audience with her juggling talents, spinning and doing splits while she juggled.
The family also performed a trampoline act, during which the traditional circus clown appeared. He interrupted their performance and lost his oversized hoop pants while jumping on the trampoline.
The family act from Florida is comprised of parents Tino and Mara, sons Mateo and Calen, and Mateo's wife, Gena.
"It was really cool," Carrie Greene of Williamstown, Mass., said after watching the circus. Her daughter had had first roller coaster ride at the fair.
"She had the biggest smile on her face that we've ever seen," said Greene.
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This fair was SO not worth the money spent. I honestly think it was the filthiest fair I've been to, and we go to a lot of fairs. We bought the bracelett pass and when we got inside, our daughter could only ride one ride and it was with a parent, so when we asked for a refund the owner was very rude and said... absolutely NO refunds for any reason. We were literally there for 5 minutes and could do nothing but walk around the wet grounds and look at the poor animals that were in some of the worst conditions we've seen. I wouldn't recommend going to this fair.
Pruden estimates that he had been in approximately 1,500 to 1,600 races at the track. "This brings back a lot of memories. I won a lot of races here."
"You can come back and visit us again because you have more change," Molly said to a customer.
The family also performed a trampoline act, during which the traditional circus clown appeared. He interrupted their performance and lost his oversized hoop pants while jumping on the trampoline.
