THE BALLOON MAN

Passaic County Fair returns to Garret Mountain

 

BY RICHARD COWEN,STAFF WRITER,The Record
from:  northjersey.com
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
The ferris wheel has arrived on Garret Mountain. The circus tent has been set up. And the only thing hotter than the sun is the cooking oil they’re using to fry the zeppoli.

The Passaic County Fair is back and ready to deliver its particular brand of funky, homegrown summertime fun, Wednesday night through Sunday.

Where else can you find a faux Frank Sinatra (Al Russo) and his fake sidekick Dean Martin (former West Paterson Mayor Gary Colletti) singing the Rat Pack tunes? Or see dogs ride a motorcycle (The Kountry Canines)? Or hear a musical tribute to Paterson and Passaic County (Joe Zisa & Friends)?

“We’ve tried to keep the entertainment local,” said Sue Amoresano, the chairwoman of the Passaic County Fair. “We’ve got all 16 municipalities in Passaic County represented.”

The year 2012 marks the 175th anniversary of Passaic County — and the return of the annual Passaic County Fair, which was cancelled last year because of budget cuts. The fair is self-supporting through advertising and vendor fees, but accepts in-kind contributions for security costs and cleanup from Passaic County.

The fair features all the usual —  and unusual —  staples of county fairs. There’s a dunking clown, pie-eating contests, rides and attractions. And of course, there will be food of all ethnic varieties.

Amoresano said this year’s new edition is the Moroccan Tent, which features all sorts of Arabic food. That goes with the Italian sausages, Greek gyros and other ethnic favorites.
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