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'Boy, we had a blast at The Big E!'
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Reminder Publications photo by Katelyn Gendron
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By the editorial staff
of Reminder Publications
Once again playing hookey from work in the name of community journalism
WEST SPRINGFIELD The annual Eastern States Exposition is in the middle of its run and Reminder Publication's investigative reporting team went to the fair and left no corndog unturned to find the truth.
The truth is the fair maintains its dizzying mixture of exhibits and features that underscore the agricultural side of the five New England states and unapologetic old-fashioned showmanship.
Our team consisted this year of two wily veterans of the Big E Natasha Clark and Mike Dobbs and two newbies, Katelyn Gendron and Courtney Llewellyn.
Where else could you see a line of cows being milked and then celebrate your Irish heritage by hoisting a Guinness? There are few places you could then buy not one but two different "miracle" irons, see a butter sculpture, watch a guy interact with a shark, and pick up a knife that can perfectly slice tomatoes after they've cut through a soda can and a gizmo that makes putting masking tape on a window ledge a breeze.
You can challenge your stomach to an assortment of sit-down dining experiences as well as every walking-around food item imaginable. No matter how many London-broil sandwiches, hot sausage grinders, fried vegetables, pierogi, milkshakes and smoked turkey legs you down, you must leave room for the fair's signature food item, the Big E cream puff.
Don't worry, there is plenty of medical help available after you collapse into a food coma.
Gendron was impressed by the Big E cream puff and eclair and kept asking just when we were going to encounter it. She said the two baked items "might as well be the mascots of the fair because it's all a newcomer hears about.
"Veterans of the fair talk about the A-List concerts on the Comcast Stage and the amusing rides at the Midway too, but the food at this fair, they say, is practically unmatched.
"These oversized delectable treats are sure to keep any fairgoer new or old coming back for more. Certainly the cream puff and eclair are a meal within themselves and for $3 they are one of the cheapest meals at The Big E. Just be sure to grab plenty of napkins for kids and adults as the confectionary sugar from the cream puff is sure to go everywhere but in one's mouth."
The other newcomer, Llewellyn, had these impressions:
"As someone who is easily bored but also easily amused, I approached the Big E cautiously. As a native New Yorker, I had never been before and I wasn't sure what to expect. As a toddler living in a grown person's body, there were certain aspects of the Big E that I loved.
"As the Reminder gang strolled from state to state, I eyed the Vermont cheeses and flatbread pizzas. My heart raced when we entered the Connecticut building, however. There, in the back, I spied the Lego logo.
"I patiently waited for the rest of my group to meander to the display. It was amazing. There were life-size Lego replicas of C-3PO and R2D2 from 'Star Wars' (which made me all fangirl inside) and a life-size Batman (who was actually pretty intimidating). The display was geared more toward the kindergarten set, so I behaved myself and didn't steal away the toys from the young boy playing with them.
"If they had more Legos out, I totally would have built myself a nice little Lego apartment building for my little Lego friends. Sadly, most of the building blocks in the display were inside the Dark Knight and the droids.
"The kid in me was rather pouty when we left the Connecticut building, but she got all excited again when we approached the midway. Two Ferris wheels? Awesome.
"The food throughout the fairgrounds was pretty delicious as well. Even though I didn't get something from every vendor, the smells alone made my tummy happy. I did get some Indian food. And a slice of pizza. And a Big E-clair. And a glass of milk. But that was it!
"The Big E is great for someone with the attention span of a...ooh, look, a paperclip!
"Trust me. My editors were there."
***
Clark extolled the virtures of the returning fair-goer.
"There are those that look for new adventures when roaming the Big E grounds. Not me. I am a repeat offender.
"There is something about the Big E that I simply equate with New England. Filling a car with friends and heading over to West Springfield to have a cold cup of overpriced beer while wandering the cool night in search of high cholesterol foods is my idea of the fair well enjoyed.
"The lights, the noise, the smells, figuring out what to do with those last two ride tickets, buying items that are clearly going to end up in the garage that is what keeps me returning. "Who cares if I end up spending most of my weekly paycheck in one night or that it takes me nearly an hour to make it down Memorial Drive? Aren't those small prices to pay for eating a 10 pound, deep-fried onion blossom and getting a personality analysis in the Better Living Center based on my sloppy handwriting (which, by the way, told me I had great emotional depth, was too critical and I soon may travel or move near water)?
"For me, the Big E is a night to be a kid again catching beads thrown from the Mardi Gras float, eating until my stomach hurts, "oohing and ahhing" over arts and crafts I normally wouldn't pay any mind to and screaming my head off on rides with my nieces and nephews.
"I am not ashamed to say that while there are new things to explore every year, I am perfectly content with the familiar and staying on my usual course. Besides, my analysis also said to have no sense of purpose is the worst thing that can happen to me."
***
The state buildings always offer something interesting and this year was no exception.
In the Connecticut Building, Mel Gancsos of Fairfield, Conn. was handing out free samples of his Mel's Hellish Productions hot sauces and salsas. Llewellyn, suffering from a head cold, eagerly went for the chance to clear her head, and although the salsa she tried was tasty it wasn't hot enough for her.
Gancsos said that was his hottest product, of which he was temporarily out. Gancsos knows hot, though. His products have been first place winners in the Scovie Awards, the annual industry competition for spicy food item.
Gancsos said that his concoctions have heat, but most importantly, they have taste. He said that people put them on everything from salmon to cheesecake.
For more information, log onto www.hellishrelish.com.
Over in the Maine Building, the case of the sought-after baked potato remains a mystery. People had filled the overflow tent area outside of the building waiting for their chance to customize their potato.
It's just a baked potato for goodness sake, albeit a big one you could load with cheese, sour cream and bacon. You can do that at home, though.
There was square dancing outside the Rhode Island Building and inside there were the usual seafood and candy offerings. There was also an artist dedicated to saving little bits of Americana. William MacGregor, Jr. of Johnston, RI, sees the beauty of diners, donut shops, amusement parks, and junkyards and creates watercolor paintings of those subjects for prints and T-shirts.
MacGregor said he tries to be as realistic as possible with his nostalgic paintings of scenes from Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
There are more of his images on his Web site, www.junkyardartist.com
And what would the Massachusetts Building be without Western Massachusetts? The Beekeepers of Hampden County, Rollie's Sodas from Holyoke, Koffee Kup Bakery of Springfield, the Granville General Store, the Charlemont Inn, the Chili Station from Ludlow, Blue Seal products from Chicopee and the Western Massachusetts Master Gardeners were all exhibitors.
***
I miss the carney aspects of Big E from many years ago. I vividly remember an attraction in which a young woman was changed into a gorilla before my eyes. Another booth touted a South American "giant rat" that pulled dead bodies out of graves. The "rat" was a thoroughly benign capybara.
My favorite sideshow was one in which there was a reproduction of the famed "Minnesota Iceman," allegedly a Big Foot found encased in a huge block of ice. The show at the Big E many years ago was a reproduction of something that was undoubtedly a fake to begin with. I loved that showbiz logic.
Those days are long gone. This year's edition has a giant pig, a giant horse and a small horse in three different booths all on view for $1 each. I peeled off a single to cast my eyes on the giant pig. I'm here to say there was a very large pig snoozing away.
The Live Shark Experience provides some of those carny thrills in a wholesome and politically correct setting. The free show runs three times a day during the week and has a fourth show on the weekends.
***
Victoria Taranowicz was hard at work at the fair. The young woman was making cigars at her family's booth Connecticut Valley Tobacconist. The cigar company, located in Enfield, Conn., has been in business for 11 years and at the Big E for 10 years.
Taranowicz was making the inside of the cigars. Her mother, Karen, explained they used Honduran or Dominican tobacco for the centers and Connecticut Valley broadleaf for the wrapper.
Victoria admitted she thought cigar making was easy before she tried it, but it took her two months to learn how to make the center and another six months of practice to wrap the cigars.
Once she rolled the center she placed them in molds that use pressure to firm up the centers before they are wrapped.
Karen said the company's standard cigars range in price from $5 to $7, while their signature battleground line of cigars cost between $6 and $10.
For more information on their company, go to www.cvtobacco.com.
***
The Big E will be completing its 2007 run on Sept. 30.
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