fryeburg fair

       In good spirits, my whole family + Klaudia left Newburyport just before 8:00 am (one hour later than planned) to begin the two and a half drive to Fryeburg, Maine. Although the Topsfield Fair is much closer, it is mostly comprised of fried food stands, shaky thrill rides, and some 4-H club displays. Several years ago on a weekend trip to Maine, we stopped by the fair in Fryeburg and found it to be much more authentic. Greasy food and cheap games were, of course, abundant, but more traditional activities like horse pulling and harness racing were also extremely popular.

       This year, everyone in my family decided to skip the Topsfield Fair and collectively devoted an entire Saturday to the Fryeburg Fair, since we'd had so much fun the first time. Diana, Klaudia, and I walked through all of the vendors, shared a box of clam strips and a bowl of apple crisp, and met up with my parents at the horse pulling event. We didn't stay for the whole thing, opting to walk over to the race track instead. When we went to harness racing three years ago, my dad wouldn't let me bid any money, but told me to pick a horse anyway, just for fun. Obviously, the horse I chose won. This year, I bet $2 on a horse called Circles Sassylassy who came in first, and I won $10. (My dad bet $2 on another horse in a different race, and didn't win anything.)

       Although Fryeburg is far away, I do love spending time in Maine, as I mentioned here. It was nice to have a sort of mini-vacation during this last long weekend, and now the countdown to Thanksgiving begins!

fresh, local maple syrup + whoopie pies

my new friend, the tin man!