Topsfield Fair 'Tradition Continues' While New Life Emerges

TOPSFIELD, MA —The Topsfield Fair made a resounding comeback to the North Shore over the past two weeks with a return to tradition and a little new life providing a symbol of hope for the future.

On Friday, the Topsfield Fair welcomed a new baby calf into its family of livestock as part of a rewarding run where 700 volunteers helped tens of thousands of visitors enjoy a safe trip to the fairgrounds after coronavirus concerns canceled the event in 2020 for only the third time in its history.

"The combination of great weather for most of the Topsfield Fair's 11-day run and the interest in the public to get back out and enjoy doing things they haven't been able to do for a long time resulted in a very successful fair," Topsfield Fair General Manager James O'Brien told Patch on Monday. "Without the commitment of volunteers, we simply wouldn't be able to run the Topsfield Fair."

Among the moments of promise for the future at this year's fair was a baby calf (pictured above) born on Friday.

After making the difficult decision to cancel the fair last fall, O'Brien announced late in the spring that this year's fair would return with nearly normal conditions. The Topsfield Board of Health did issue a mask order for all indoor areas of the fair, with organizers asking attendees to wear them on the fairground at all times in crowds, as additional sanitizing efforts were made for the October run that included hundreds of hand-washing stations throughout the fairgrounds.

Free masks were available to all who needed them and a mobile vaccination clinic was on site.

"Almost everyone I talked to was thrilled that the Fair was back and was aware of what we were doing to keep people safe," O'Brien said. "Our theme this year was 'The Tradition Continues' and I'm very glad that we were able to run this year."

While fair hours were altered slightly for 2021, organizers said the hope is the typical hours will return next year.

"We have already started to work on the 2022 Topsfield Fair and look forward to seeing fairgoers again next year," O'Brien confirmed.

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(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)

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