Agricultural fairs an annual tradition

(WWLP) - Spending the day at the fair is a long-standing Labor Day Weekend tradition here in Western Massachusetts.

Up in the hills of Hampden County folks started coming to the Blandford fair nearly 150 years ago and it's still going strong. The four day event attracts people from all over for a lot of reasons.

Jeff Robbins of Springfield summed it up pretty well for 22News, "because it's one of the few country fairs left in the country. They get a few vendors but it still has that feel of the county fairs with the agricultural exhibits, the animals, it's very unpretentious."

Not too many miles away in Northampton, the 3 County Fair was approaching its 200th year as a recreational mainstay for the families of Western Massachusetts. Like its cousin in Blandford, this fair is also agricultural to its core.

The two fairs apparently have more in common than merely a rich history. Spokesmen told 22News, both fairs expect to attract upwards of 30,000 visitors each by the time the fairs run their course by sundown on Labor Day.