Category Archives: fair

October 10, 2026

Big E – Noah Royak (Eastern Exposition Center, West Springfield, MA)

By New England Nomad

Date Of Visit: Sep, 2026

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

Parking: There are parking lots at the Big E as well as various lots near the Exposition Center

Cost: Ticket prices vary by age. But admission for an adult is $20

Website: The Big E

Summary: Noah Royak entertained the crowd at the Big E!

New England has a long history of festival celebrations. One of the biggest events during the fall, and perhaps the entire year in New England, is the Big E! The event, which is held during the last few weeks of September and part of October, attracts people from all over the region and beyond.

Of course, it rained during my visit. But, most of the events were either indoor or held under a canopy. So I was still able to photograph most of the event.

I have visited, and photographed, the Big E Fair many times over the years. But, because of the volume of photos I take and the number of events I photograph this time of the year, I had never edited or posted those photos. One day, I will get to them! But, I promised myself I would make sure to post the photos from this year’s event! Since there are so many events at this fair and I take so many photos, I decided to post each event from the fair separately. The first event from this year’s event was the entertainment of Noah Royak.!

Noah mixes comedy, juggling and other theatrics in his performance.

But, Noah doesn’t just juggle and balance the usual items.

Noah does other stuff besides juggling and balancing things on his head. He incorporated these hula hoops in his act as well as a few dangerous weapons!

Speaking of dangerous weapons. Don’t try this at home!

While I was photographing him, Noah did notice me and made sure to do a little modeling for me!

He also does impressions! Like this impression of Mickey Mouse!

The highlight of the event was not photographed, though. While looking for a volunteer near the end of his performance, he scanned the audience. Eventually, when there weren’t many takers, he chose me. Lucky me. He actually chose someone else but I thought he was pointing at me.

With much trepidation, I climbed the stairs to the stage. The crowd went crazy as I waved my arms to pump them up. OK, maybe not crazy but work with me. For his finale, I was instructed to hold a balloon while Noah deflated it with a whip! I made sure to held the balloon as far away from my body as possible while Noah went through the calculations in his head for a trick he’s done countless times. And, without a hitch, he deflated the balloon with his whip. Safe and easy. And, after checking to make sure all my digits and other appendages were still with me, I walked back to my seat There may be video or photos of this somewhere. But, they’re not in this post!

There were many other events at the fair this year that I will post in my next installments! There were lots of photo opportunities. So it may take a while to post all of them. But stay tuned for more photos from the festival!

9 Comments | tags: Big E, Massachusetts, New England, Noah Royak, photographs, Photography, photos, West Springfield | posted in fair, juggling, Massachusetts, New England, photographs, photography, photos, Uncategorized, West Springfield

August 23, 2021

2021 Westfield Fair (Westfield, MA)

By New England Nomad

Dates Of Event: August 20-22, 2021

Location: Westfield Fairgrounds, 137 Russellville Road, Westfield, MA

Cost:

General Admission: $8.00
Seniors: $6.00
Children under 12 FREE with a paid adult admission

$2 per car for parking

Parking: There is ample parking available on the fairgrounds

Pet Friendly: No except for service pets

Universally Accessible: Yes

Website: http://www.thewestfieldfair.com/

Summary: A fun filled family friendly event in Westfield, MA

It may seem like summer is winding down. But don’t tell that to the visitors at the Westfield Fair.

Thousands of people from the Northeast flocked to the 93rd Westfield Fair last weekend which featured a variety of fun events and activities for the entire family.

One of the more popular events at the fair is the Junior Dairy show where a group of young ranchers got to show off their cattle handling skills.

Some cattle needed more encouragement to comply.

I was impressed at how the kids managed to handle such large animals with relative ease.

Another one of the more popular attractions at the fair is the animal petting barn. For one dollar, visitors can feed the seeminlgy always hungry goats, pony and other animals.

Although the truck pull and demolition derby are popular events, the kids also get to show off their driving skills at the Kids Power Wheel Race.

There were also a variety of events and activities for children including face painting

And a beauty pageant

There was also a play area, motorized ride on toys and fun activities for the little ones.

It was good to see people having fun in such a fun, wholesome event, especially since the event had been canceled last year. But, it didn’t go off without a hitch, unfortunately.

Usually, the fair runs from Friday through Sunday. But, the festivities for Sunday were cancelled due to Hurricane Henri.

4 Comments | tags: animals, fair, photogtaphy, photos, Westfield | posted in animals, fair, Massachusetts, New England, photographs, photography, photos, Westfield

August 29, 2016

Westfield Fair (Westfield, MA)

By New England Nomad

Dates Of Event: August 19-21 (it’s usually held the third weekend of August of each year)

Location: 135 Russellville Rd, Westfield, MA

Hours: Friday 5-10 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m., – 10 p.m., Sunday 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Cost: $8, $6 for seniors (over 65), Children under 12 get in free with an adult

Parking: There was ample parking on the fair grounds

Dog Friendly: No

Highlights: petting zoo, animals, tractor pull, demolition derby, arts and crafts

Westfield Fair

Summers bring to mind beach weather, vacations along the shore and, of course, fairs. In fact, fairs often mark the winding down of the summer vacation season. And no one may do city fairs better than Westfield, MA.

The 89th Westfield Fair had a very down home/country feel to it. From the sheep show (yes you read that right), to the arts and crafts fair and the tractor pull, everything seemed more like “country fun”than the city fun I am more accustomed to. I’m always game for new experiences, though, so I figured I give them a try.

Children from the Pioneer Valley (the section of the area that encompasses the Connecticut River in Massachusetts such as Westfield, Springfield and Chicopee to name a few cities and towns) showed off the animals they have been caring for. I was taken by surprise by how the sheep seemed to like to cuddle. It was remarkable how these little kids could handle and treat these animals with such care. They also seemed very proud of their animals and the work they put into caring for them.

The sheep were evaluated and prizes were awarded to the best in show.

There was also a cattle show. They take this show very seriously as you can tell by the care they were given.

The cows were also shown off and evaluated. Some of the cows did not want me to moove, though (sorry, I couldn’t resist that one). So, the children had to encourage them a bit. Prizes were awarded to the participants. Again, it is very cool to see some children who are barely as tall as the cows they were working with handle them so well. Many of the participants have grown up in families that farm so they have a lot of experience in husbandry. The pride they all take in their work is evident by their reactions.

Perhaps the most popular event during the day time was the tractor pull. The Western Mass Tractor Pullers Association sponsored the event which featured tractors of various styles and eras.

The highlight of the event for me was the petting zoo and alpacas.

The goats, pig and other animals took the food from everyone very gently and they were very friendly.

I’ve always marveled at the folksy ways of the Western MA community. Their down home, folksy ways are evident in so many ways, even their arts and crafts.

And no one knows how to bake like the folks in the western part of the state. Someone had the unenviable task of tasting all of the goodness on these shelves to decide the winner of the bake fair (the Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate Cake won). Talk about pure drudgery!

There were several fun events and activities for children such as a climbing wall, a kiddie tractor pull event, musical performers, face painting (I went with the cat design), food trucks (the fries were to die for) and, of course, amusement rides (I declined). A play train was available to cart you around to the various events.

Vehicles, specifically trucks, are a staple of the fair. Everywhere you look there seems to be a souped up vehicle tricked out or a vehicle used for farming on display.