Thousands have and will continue to gather at the Schaghticoke Fair this holiday weekend.
People from near and far packed the nearly 100-acre grounds to spin around on their favorite rides, eat fair favorites, and fill the grandstand for tractor pulls.
Roughly 20,000 people filtered through the grounds on Wednesday’s opening night, which is also known as “Dollar Day” – where admission and ride tickets are $1 each. Fair officials say they expect nearly 100,000 visitors before the fair ends on Labor Day.
Nearby, residents have lawns to fill. When the fair is running, a mere minute’s drive from Chrissy’s Cravings, a local ice cream favorite, turns into a traffic standstill that could take nearly an hour to get through. And even with free parking on premises, some people don’t want to wait.
Ryan Delre’s place is a five-minute walk from a side entrance off of Route 40. He charges $5 per car and can fit nearly 15 vehicles at a time between the front and back yards. He says the money he receives offsets the cost of a day at the fair with his family.
“From here to the fairground yeah, okay, great it’s only another 20 minutes driving but then you still actually have to go down Stillwater Bridge Road and then find a parking spot, get in that parking spot and then you got another 10-minute walk to the fair so, eh, it’s a good deal in my opinion,” Delre said.
Coming from the slide on the house of mirrors, Quotesia Johnson and her 4-year-old daughter stop and look at toys in a neighboring booth.
“I’d do anything for my daughter but that slide is not for us, imma just say that,” Johnson said, “She wanted to go down it together but, you know, I couldn’t break her heart. So go through the pain and she’s having fun so. We’re just creating memories together. I’m just happy that I could bring her here for a second year. This is like a tradition for us now.”
Johnson’s daughter, Daixyiah Johnson, has her eye on the next adventure— a “haunted” coaster across from the house of mirrors.
“I’m gonna go in the spooky castle and the house right over there, look behind you,” Johnson said.
“Are you scared?”
“No, I am brave. And I’m going to say ‘get out of here you scary thing!’,” Johnson said.
Lines fill the walkways as visitors try to get their hands on fried dough and giant sodas or the next seat on any one of the dozens of rides.
Looking back at a ride spinning its passengers back, forth, and around, Amanda Morin expresses her concern.
“I’m not spinning upside and going uh uh no that’s too much,” Morin said. “The one over there, the pirate ship. Yeah, no I’m scared of heights. Nope. Not happening.”
“What kind of rides are you willing to go on?”
“These things that stay on the ground,” Morin said.
11-year-old Lillian Elkins, like many kids, has a favorite ride.
“I really like the swings and I like it because I like it,” Elkins said.
But the fair isn’t all about fun and games. Many organizations use booths to fundraise. Scott Rice, president of the pastoral council of the Transfiguration Parish of Schaghticoke and Speigletown, says they have rented a booth serving hamburgers, grilled cheese, and more for several years.
“Our parish uses this fundraiser to help our parish with every function from service, to our membership, to reach out to new members to help with the youth in our community, but also to provide support for our elderly,” Rice said. “So, we provide support for almost every faction of our community.”
The fair, which dates to 1819, wraps up Labor Day with the coveted demolition derby.
