Middlesex County Fair heats up
Events run until Sunday at the East Brunswick Fair Grounds
FARRAH MAFFAI Sam Lewallen took a long detour from Portland, Ore., to visit the Middlesex County Fair in East Brunswick on Tuesday. He stands with his friend and Gravitron co-rider, Hillary Gross, Bridgewater.
The end of the summer may be on the horizon, but the 63rd annual Middlesex County Fair arrived in East Brunswick Monday, just in time to make the season complete.
Despite record heat and humidity, fairgoers filled up the parking lot during the kickoff of the weeklong fair as the sun slowly set, giving the sky a soft salmon glow. As the night settled, the lights and energy from the bustling fair heated up. It was a fun-filled family event complete with entertainment, rides and other attractions.
Attendees caught the fair’s new addition, the Star Family Circus, where Kathy Garcia ignited the crowds with enthusiasm, in preparation for them to see feats of wonder performed with skill and charismatic finesse. At the young age of 16, Aaron Garcia juggles balls and knives and wows the crowd with his skill of playing with fire. If that isn’t enough to astound, 12-year-old Reyna Garcia rides a motorcycle, defying the laws of gravity in a metal sphere. Additional aerial acts known as the Space Wheel and Aerial Lune are among the many attractions that make fairgoers of all ages gasp and applaud in appreciation.
Over at the Indian River Olde Time Lumberjack Show, comedy can be seen in action in the form of ax-throwing, speed-chopping and log-rolling competitions. Nearby, Robinson’s Racing Pigs, vying for the ultimate prize — an Oreo cookie — are being cheered by numerous youngsters. And the adorable Zeke, the Vietnamese potbellied pig, performs tricks to an increasingly charmed crowd.
FARRAH MAFFAI Sandy Tiernan, 5, of Monroe is hoping for some quiet during a lumberjack competition during the Middlesex County Fair in East Brunswick.
Animal-lovers take time out to view the baby Holland lop rabbits, which are for sale at the small animal tent, along with baby guinea pigs, hamsters, mice, rats and hedgehogs.
"I like hamsters because they’re cute," Nate Knyfde, 11, of Plainfield, said as he worked with the 4-H zoo crew Tuesday. Cute, sure, but gentle reminders abound: "If you put your fingers in a cage, there is no guarantee that you will get them back."
The fair also offers rides and games for all ages — from the heart-stopping, mind-numbing, adrenaline-pumping rides of Pharaoh’s Fury and Gravitron to the classic Ferris wheel and the soft twinkle of lights coming from the merry-go-round.
Those with a strong arm and keen accuracy test them for a dollar at the diving pool dunking stool, where they get six balls and six opportunities to hit the target that will ultimately make their victim fall into a pool of water.
DAWN MARIE SANNWALDT Allentown resident Jessica Kraemer feeds a carrot to her pony, named Flight of the Jitterbug, at the Middlesex County Fair on Monday.
Golf enthusiasts also test their swings at the miniature golf course.
Vendors and booths can also be found at the fair. Shirts are purchased, along with jewelry and temporary tattoos. Free massages are offered and children are spotted getting their face painted like a cat, complete with a set of ears and whiskers. Some subject themselves to the artistic creations of 26-year-old Jack McNeil, of East Brunswick, as he does colorful and humorous caricatures.
There is also something for every taste bud. One can smell the grills roaring away from afar — pizza, gyros, zeppoles, calzones, steamers, potato pancakes, knockwurst, kielbasi and oriental barbecue. Yet, what really satisfies 17-year-old Dan Kowalski, of Rowan, is a hamburger.
"A hamburger, a good old hamburger with ketchup and mayo," Kowalski says.
Others choose the country fair chicken buffet, which is $7 for adults and $4 for children, age 7 and under.
A fair wouldn’t be complete without the old-time favorite snacks — fluffy clouds of cotton candy, sticky candy apples, and funnel cakes topped with a coat of confectioners’ sugar can be found at every turn. There’s also the Mozzareppa.
"It’s a sweet brown corn bread patty with mozzarella cheese in the middle," says Hervey Leon, who says he is the son of the originator of the Mozzareppa.
"It’s sweet," Diane Kuzma, of Milltown, says as she prepares to take another bite into the patty.
FARRAH MAFFAI Robinson’s Racing Pigs get ready, above, and race around the track for a cookie, below.
To quench thirst or cool fairgoers down, the vendor next to Dellano’s Pizza is selling lemonade.
"Half lemon, one scoop of sugar, ice and water, then we shake it. That’s the secret. We don’t stir it, we shake it," says Ishmael Arroyo, 35, who heads the lemonade stand.
Then there are the smoothies. Blended to thirst-quenching perfection, the smoothies come in various colorful flavors from strawberry banana to the exotic pina colada. They are poured into plastic tumblers in different shapes and shades of the rainbow.
The fair is here, but only until Sunday. It opens at 3 p.m. and closes at 11 p.m. today. The rest of the schedule is: 1 to 11 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.
FARRAH MAFFAI Robert Bosco performs the springboard chop during the Indian River Olde Time Lumberjack Show on Monday.
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