Jamie and Jessica Gealy each strive to win their respective divisions of the pie-eating contest. September 11, 1999. Photo: Artelia Lyn Ellis

Danbury Grange & Community Fair

A celebration of the area's rural heritage, the fair is 85 years old, initiated by the Blazing Star Grange #71. Held each year on the first Saturday after Labor Day, the dawn-to-dusk event features exhibits of produce, flowers, food, and fancywork; an "attic treasures" sale; a horseshoe tournament; a tractor pull; a Dutch auction; storytelling; a baby show; music by the Lyme Town Band; a parade; a street dance; and a ham and bean supper, with a huge variety of pies for desserts. It attracts visitors from all over the state, and beyond. The 1999 parade had as its theme "A Century of Transportation." The Blazing Star Grange will celebrate its 125th anniversary in 2000. It has received state and national recognition for a variety of community service projects.

The project documentation comprises 30 photographs; background on Blazing Star Grange #71; a press release; flyer for the 1999 Fair; a parade line-up listing, raffle tickets; newspaper articles; information on the Blazing Star Grange; a Danbury Phone Book; a history of Danbury, an audio cassette of the auction proceedings; and poetry and recipes.

Originally submitted by: Charles F. Bass, Representative (2nd District).

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