Vermont State Fair

Disappointingly limited in terms of attractions and food options, even for a small state. The grounds are clean and nicely laid out around an historic grandstand but admittedly we were expecting a lot more. There are more than a half dozen fairs in Connecticut alone (where we reside) that are larger and more interesting than this. On the positive side, there’s a very nice two barn farm museum with all implements labeled, a small but delicious maple barn and a demolition derby that is really the highlight of the annual gathering. Definitely not a reason to trek up to Rutland but probably worth the $ 10 admission if you’re up here with nothing to do for a couple of hours.

Not much here for a state fair. I realize it’s a small state, but even the vendor’s booths seemed boring and the vendors bored with being there. They seemed to have a lot of cows and not many other animals (we never did find any pigs, sheep or horses).

This is pure Vermont fun!
Great food, great exhibits and the awesome people that make Vermont such a wonderful place to visit and inhabit. There is always something going on and fun for everyone.
Can’t wait to go back. This time married with kids! Then I will truly appreciate it. Even more than I do now :)

Admittedly, I am a BIG fan of Vermont. I love it – as a place to live (or on my list as a place to live), to travel in and around, eat, stay and play in. So much so that a few years back, while coming back from Montréal, I knew the Vermont State Fair was taking place in Rutland, so I allowed us an extra day to take a pit stop in Rutland and check out the fair. Believe me, I was expecting rural, and quaint — I had no other expectations.
Now I have been to the state fairs of New York and Texas throughout the years, so I knew what to expect more or less. Unfortunately though — and I don’t know if it was an isolated incident or not — but when we checked into the hotel down the road, and told them we were going to the fair, they said there had been some sort of incident on the grounds there in previous night — whether it was a brawl or a biker gang or what, I don’t exactly recall, but it was our understanding that this was not uncommon there and it is unfortunate. These fairs are there for families — not that sort of thing.
Anyhow, we did end up going the following day — after it had rained overnight, making it a bit damp and muddy. And it turned out we went on a day when addmission was free.
On the inside there were the rides, food, sideshows and exhibitions which were great. And they did have a small, rural town /​state feel to them — there was also the demolition derby and other shows there — many of which we did not see because we were there only for the day. Although I hear that in 2008 ZZ Top will be there to perfom.
I would love to go back — and perhaps go for some of the evening festivities. I hope they have taken care of their security issues because this could be a real nice time if it were not for the concerns that apparently have been in the past.