| SEPTEMBER 16, 2010 -- There’s something about a Grange fair that makes it as American as apple pie.
Perhaps it’s because the fair celebrates a longtime Yankee tradition of growing fruit and vegetables and raising livestock. Perhaps it’s because the fair honors the time-worn traditions of knitting, sewing, crafting, and photography. Or perhaps it really is all about the apple pie!
Whatever the reasons may be, the Weston community can judge for themselves what makes a Grange fair so special this Sunday, Sept. 19, at the Norfield Grange’s 42nd Agricultural Fair, Market and Exhibit, at 12 Goodhill Road, from 10 to 3, rain or shine.
Homemade and market items will be available to purchase at the fair and a snack bar will provide food and beverages.
Local Girl Scouts are making and canning applesauce, as well as taking orders for homemade pies for Thanksgiving. Boy Scouts will be selling fresh popped popcorn. Girls and boys alike will be making homemade caramel apples from local apples supplied by the Aspetuck Valley Apple Barn in Easton.
There will be activities at the fair for children, including face painting, games, pony rides, and a petting zoo. Firefighters will be on hand to make ID kits for kids.
But the one thing that really distinguishes a Grange fair from other local fairs is the level of neighborly competition. Anyone from Weston is welcome to submit entries in a variety of contests including art, photography, crafts, baked goods, canned goods/preserves, vegetables/fruits, flowers, eggs, sewing and needlework, and a sure-to-be popular category — homemade spirits. (For more details on competition rules visit www.norfieldgrange.com)
In addition to ribbons and prizes in each category, there will also be a grand prize Best in Show award as voted on by attendees of the fair. And at 2:30 p.m., there will be a prize-winning vegetable auction.
History of the grange
The term “Grange” is shorthand for The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry, an agricultural organization.
Its original purpose was to offer education, fellowship, and support to farmers. The first Granges started springing up around the country in 1867.
The word “Grange” itself comes from a Latin word for grain, and is related to a “granary” or generically, a farm.
In Connecticut, the first state Grange was organized in Danbury in 1875. But according to historians, it met with a quick demise due to misunderstandings and disputes amongst other Granges, and a low treasury.
The second attempt at organizing a state Grange met with much more success in 1885. Several Granges that were organized during the first attempt were still viable, and many new Granges joined in.
The Norfield Grange #146 was organized in Weston on January 6, 1896, and joined with other Granges in the state.
The building that currently houses the Norfield Grange on Goodhill Road is originally from New Canaan and was moved to accommodate the construction of The Merritt Parkway. Teddy Coley and his family moved the building from New Canaan to Weston.
Sunday’s fair will be the 42nd for the Norfield Grange. The group has no records of fairs held before then.
Other local Granges include the Cannon Grange in Wilton which holds a popular annual agricultural fair every August, and the Redding Grange, which held its annual harvest festival last week.
Back to basics
Throughout the years, as agriculture died down in the Northeast, many Granges have experienced sharp declines in membership or have disappeared altogether.
Members of the Norfield Grange are hoping that with a back to basics resurgence for gardening and growing fruits and vegetables that the Grange can become a resource to the Weston community.
“In these economic times, it’s good to get to know your neighbors,” said Grange member Lyn Kimberly. “A lot of people in Weston don’t have pigs or chickens, but they do have flower gardens, they grow tomatoes, and they have honeybees. I think the way to grow the Grange is to find like-minded people who like to do these things,” she said.
For years, Ms. Kimberly and her husband, Chris, raised chickens which provided them with eggs which they enjoyed and gave away to family and friends.
“We call ourselves suburban farmers. It’s a wonderful way of life for children,” Ms. Kimberly said.
Mr. Kimberly has deep ties to the Grange. One of his relatives, Sherman Kimberly, was one of the founders of the Grange in Connecticut.
Ewa Ojarovsky also enjoys being a member of the Norfield Grange. Her specialty is preserving and canning. Ms. Ojarovsky is no stranger to food preparation. She ran several food venues for the recent Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
“I made about 58,000 sandwiches and at the Curling event we went through 100,000 beers in four days,” she said.
Ms. Ojarovsky and her husband John, the town’s Communications Center manager, are trying to encourage new members to join the Grange.
“What’s nice about this organization is it is open to everyone and it is a lot of fun,” Ms. Ojarovsky said.
The Norfield Grange holds a monthly meeting on the second Tuesday of each month. The meetings are anything but dull — upcoming themes include pumpkin carving, a Christmas party and cookie exchange, and a Kentucky Derby viewing party.
While Norfield does not have a youth program, the members are working towards it and have a budding relationship with Weston High School and its greenhouse. The Grange also gave a scholarship last year to a Weston High School senior majoring in pre-veterinary medicine at the University of Vermont.
With the average age of a Grange member at 80, members know they have precious little time to find new ways to increase their ranks. They are hoping the fair and other Grange events will encourage people to check the group out further.
“I think Norfield is the poster child for attempts to revive a Grange,” Ms. Kimberly said.
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