Category Archives: Eastern States Exposition Center

March 22, 2018

Northeast Reenactors Fair (West Springfield, MA)

By New England Nomad

Date Of Event: February 24, 2018

Location: Mallary Complex, Eastern States Exposition Center (1305 Memorial Avenue
West Springfield, MA)

Cost: $10 per person (2 day passes are also available for $20)

Parking: $5 to park for the day. Parking is ample.

Website: Northeast Reenactors Fair

Highlights: Items and people in costume from various eras

Hello fellow bloggers and readers, I have been out of commission for a while due to a back injury. But, I am recovering and I should be back to my normal blogging schedule soon. Thank you for your support and I look forward to posting more of my adventures!

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The Eastern State Exposition Center in West Springfield. MA, was in a time warp the last weekend of February.

The Northeast Reenactors (formerly the New England Reenactors) descended upon the Big E to show off their attire, sell their era-appropriate merchandise and celebrate the days of yore.

There were reenactors of every era in costume at the fair.

 

While there were reenactors from every time period, there were quite a lot of Vietnam War era reenactors.

 

The weapon in this photo, an M29 Mortar, is still used today, with some slight modifications. If you never thought you would ever use geometry, think again. The trajectory of the projectiles use a lot of geometry and other mathematical formulas to direct the mortars accurately. Also, it took five people, yes five people, to operator (the squad leader, the gunner, the assistant gunner, first ammunition bear and the second ammunition bearer). One of the projectiles can be seen to the right of the M 29.

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There were also vendors selling their wares. Many of the products being sold were home made replicas of the items of previous eras.

 

There were also various displays of the popular attire, books and other items from the various eras.

 

Check out the cameras used during the Vietnam era. Maybe I should consider trading in for one.

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It was such a big event, even two presidents showed up.

President Madison

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And, of course, President Lincoln.

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If all that wasn’t enough, there was also entertainment at the reenactors fair. Singers performed a variety of songs from the past.

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Below is a video of one of the talented performers.

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New England Nomad

10 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , | posted in Eastern States Exposition Center, historical, Massachusetts, New England, photographs, photography, photos, reenactors, Uncategorized, West Springfield

September 5, 2017

Wheels & Waffles (West Springfield, MA)

By New England Nomad

Date Of Visit: August 19, 2017

Location: Eastern States Exposition Center,  Avenue Of The States, 1305 Memorial Ave, West Springfield, MA

Cost: Free

Parking: There is ample parking located at the entrance

Dog Friendly: Yes

Website: Wheels N Waffles

Highlights: classic cards dating back to the early 1900s, waffles

Tips:

  • The “Avenue of the States” (where the event was held) got the name because it has a replica of each state’s house of each state in New England on its premises
  • The Wheels & Waffles event is usually held at the Eastern States Exposition Center twice each summer, annually

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What goes better together than wheels and….waffles?  Well, that was what was on the menu at the Eastern Exposition Center last month.

There were some novelty card there too like this “General Lee” Dukes Of Hazzard replica car.

And this replica of Herbie The Love Bug

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If only I was better at identifying cars with the years they were built.  Unfortunately, that’s not my forte.  But, I still appreciate the curves, style and power of these vehicles.

Look at those fins and designs.  Those beautiful, beautiful fins…

Not all of the cars were from the 50’s and 60’s.  In fact, some of you may have owned some of these more recent classics.

I’ve always loved long, shapely cars.  So, of course this was my favorite.

Of course, as the name of the event suggests, there waffles provided by the Storrowton Tavern.

 

The “Avenue Of The States” didn’t get its name by accident.  The grounds have a replica of each original state house for each of the six New England states.  Below is the original state house of Massachusetts.

Here is what the Boston State House actually looks like (courtesy of everstockphoto.com)

Wheels & Waffles is a dog friendly event and I’m really not sure what I thought were more beautiful, the dogs or the cars.  OK, it was the dogs.

CJ is a 5 or 6 year old Jack Russell Terrier.

Lola is a 3 year old Lab.

Gunner is a 2 and a half year old Lab mix.

Below is a video of the Wheels & Waffles event

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17 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in cars, dogs, Eastern States Exposition Center, Massachusetts, New England, photographs, photography, photos, Uncategorized, West Springfield, Wheels And Waffles

May 22, 2017

Hudson Valley Arabian Horse Show (West Springfield, MA)

By New England Nomad

Date Of Event: May 13, 2017

Location: Eastern States Exposition Center, 1305 Memorial Avenue
West Springfield, MA, Coliseum Building (Gate 2) (about 2 hours west of Boston, and 10 minutes west of Springfield, MA)

Cost: Free

Parking: Ample free parking was available at the Exposition Center

Website: Hudson Valley Arabian Horse Association

Handicapped Accessible: Yes

Dog Friendly: Yes

Highlights: Arabian horses, horse judging contests

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If it’s spring time it must be horse showing time at the “Big E.”  There are several horse shows scheduled there this spring and summer.  Since the weather in New England has been less than “spring-like”, I felt a nice indoor event watching beautiful horses would be the perfect event for a washed out weekend.

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Hawk is an Arabian/Pinto horse.

It’s always nice seeing the horses with their riders and trainers.  You can see the care they take with each horse and just how much they love their horses.

The Arabian horse show took place over the weekend of May 12-May 14.  I attended the morning show on May 13.  During my visit, the horses and the riders were being judged.  The horses were judged on appearance in the first event.

Then, the horses and riders were judged on their riding skills.

People of all ages rode.  The youngest group of riders was the 10 and under group.  I am always amazed at how someone so young can control a horse and not show an ounce of fear.

Dogs also like to watch horses apparently.

The person who was dog sitting this dog didn’t know the dog’s name.

This cute little is called Gingo.

If you missed the Hudson Valley Arabian Horse Show, fear not.  There are many more horse shows (specifically shows sponsored by the Arabian Horse Club of Connecticut) scheduled in the upcoming weeks and throughout the summer at the “Big E.”  See below for a schedule of events at the Exposition Center.

Eastern Exposition Calendar of Events

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7 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , | posted in dogs, Eastern States Exposition Center, horses, Massachusetts, New England, photographs, photography, photos, Uncategorized, West Springfield

April 5, 2017

North American Alpaca Show (West Springfield, MA)

By New England Nomad

Dates of Event: March 31-April 2, 2017 (photos taken April 1)

Location: Eastern States Exposition Center, Mallory Building, 1305 Memorial Ave, West Springfield, MA (2 hours west of Boston, MA)

Cost: Free

Parking: ample parking is provided, free of charge, at the rear and side of the Mallory Building

Handicapped Accessible: Yes

Highlights: Alpacas, Alpaca shows, products made from Alpaca fleece

Web Site: North American Alpaca Show

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Known for their seemingly ever present signature smile and calm demeanor, alpacas are one of the more popular animals in the New England area.  Alpaca farms have been springing up more and more in the Northeast area.  In fact, the New England Alpacas Owners and Breeders Association (NEAOBA) lists 85 breeders in the New England and New York area.  Many of these breeders and owners met last weekend at the Eastern States Exposition Center in West Springfield, MA.  The owners and breeders came as far away as Phoenix, New York and parts of Maine and Vermont.

Besides being absolutely adorable and generally calm animals, alpacas are said to be very smart animals.  They often tend to pack together, you know like you expect from alpackas.  Okay enough word play.  For now.  As you can see from the photos below, they do like to be close to each other.

But, I did manage to get a few Alpacas on their own to photograph which was hard to do since they were all packed in there together (I told you I wasn’t done with my word play).  There are so many different colors and sizes.  Fun facts: the average alpaca can grow to be 150 to 175 pounds!  They also have a life span of 15-20 years and can grow to be as tall 3 feet at the shoulders and 4.5 feet tall by the head.

I also liked this “Alpaca photo bomb”

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Alpacas are shown and judged (they all received ribbons from to last place) and they are generally calm while they are being shown, except when their personal space is encroached.  But, overall they were very graceful.

Some of the alpacas appeared to mouth the metal fencing of their pens.  This is not uncommon.  In fact, one owner said he keeps baby teething rings for his alpacas and they enjoy using them.

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Most of the alpacas were very friendly, albeit a little guarded.  But, once they warm up to you, they were very social.  In fact, they seemed to pose for me.  That is what I noticed most about them.  They seem to have a lot of personality.

There were also several people selling many products made from alpaca fleece.  They sold a variety of products made from  alpaca fleece.  They were even selling alpacas made from alpacas (fleece). Being an animal lover, I inquired about the shearing process and I was informed that it is a simple, quick process that does not hurt the animals.

One of the cool things about these cuties is how they communicate to each other in a variety of ways such as through posture, the movement of their tails and some of them even make a noise the owners and breeders call “humming”.

23 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , | posted in alpacas, Eastern States Exposition Center, Massachusetts, New England, photographs, photography, photos, Uncategorized, West Springfield

January 16, 2017

Northeastern Poultry Congress (Eastern States Exposition Center, West Springfield, MA)

By New England Nomad

Dates Of Event: January 13, 14 and 15, 2017 (photos taken January 14)

Location: Eastern States Exposition Center (1305 Memorial Ave, West Springfield, MA), Mallory Building, Gate 9

Hours: January 13 3:00 p.m. -8:00 p.m., January 14 9:00 a.m. – 4:00  p.m., January 15 8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

Cost: Admission is free

Parking: Free ample parking is located at or near the Mallory Building parking lot

Handicapped Accessible: Yes, the Mallory Building is handicapped accessible

Dog Friendly: Service dogs may be allowed

Web Site: Northeastern Poultry Congress

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Duck, duck, chicken?  That is the theme at the Northeastern Poultry Congress this weekend at the Eastern States Exposition Center in West Springfield, MA.

The poultry congress has chickens and other poultry of all kinds.

In fact, there were rows and rows of chicken being displayed and/or sold.

I had never considered the beauty of a chicken, or other fowl, before.  They really are beautiful and interesting looking.  The chickens and other poultry were available for purchase and somee were being judged.  Adults and children could be seen carrying chickens for purchase.  I  was surprised how the chickens and other fowl didn’t seem to resist or peck when they were being held (always with their face toward the persons body).

There were also chicks in an incubator.

These turkeys made it through the holiday season.

There were also events for children such as an event where the children both judged and exhibkited different poultry.

Concession stands were also available, although I didn’t see fried chicken on the menus.

There were also vendors selling art, nick knacks and other items.

The poultry weren’t the only cute animals at the show.  One of the vendors brought her own little pet with her to the show.

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The Northeastern Poultry Congress usually only stops by the Eastern States Exposition Center once a year.  But, you may be able to catch it at other venues throughout the year (refer too the web site shown above to see if it is stopping by a venue near you). So, don’t be a chicken!  Stop by and visit the lovely poultry if you do notice it is in your area.

21 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in chickens, Eastern States Exposition Center, Massachusetts, photographs, photography, photos, poultry, Uncategorized, West Springfield