THE BALLOON MAN

Fall is in the air as Hamburg Fair ends

 

PHOTOS BY Sean D. Elliot/The Day
Kayla O'Leary, 6, of Groton, shows-off her hula hoop skills for her father, Thomas, not pictured, on the final day of the 111th Hamburg Fair.
By Rick Koster
Publication: The Day.com
Published 08/20/2012
It was August 19 - the first day of autumn. Or so it seemed in the early hours of Sunday's final-day session at the 111th edition of the Hamburg Fair in Lyme.
Indeed, a whispering breeze and cooler temperatures seemed a sort of meteorological consolation prize after relentless rain melted many of Saturday's prime attendance hours at the beloved event.
"I was actually cold on the way in this morning," said Frett Marsha, who was serving Memphis-style pulled pork sandwiches and coleslaw at the Porky Pete's barbecue kiosk on a stretch of turf connecting the crafts section of the fair with the rides and games zip code. "It's almost like fall, and you can tell people are enjoying that aspect."
Marsha, who works full time for Porky Pete's, an Essex eatery and catering service, was helped behind the counter by his fiance, a schoolteacher named Jessica Forsier. It was the first time to work the Hamburg Fair for each, and they were both relishing the experience.
"We're meeting so many nice people," Forsier said. "It's a fun change to do this. We'd do it again."
Though Saturday's horse-pull event was washed out, a large crowd sat attentively for Sunday's ox-pull competitions.
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http://www.theday.com/article/20120820/ENT02/308209979/1017