Thinking of summer fairs conjures up images of thrill rides, petting zoos and fried foods. But we found some extremely bizarre events right here at some of CT's festivals.
HOLLER LOUDLY: You’ll be screaming with joy this September at the Bethlehem Fair—and by screaming, we mean literally screaming. There is a famous hollerin’ contest where participants yell as loud as they can. There are no prizes, other than the bragging rights. Perhaps, though, the winners will lure in an exotic bird since they will be in attendance too at the exotic bird show. If you feel a headache coming on, watch some lumberjacks chop wood or fiddlers play some sweet tunes.
RUNNING HOT DOGS: The Kentucky Derby and Boston Marathon are displays of the fastest horses and humans in the world. Every heard of the Heinzathon? Probably not. We made it up for the Terryville Country Fair and their new hot dog racing event. The race consists of dachshund pups dressed up in hot dog costumes. Hold the ketchup and relish though, the only fixin’ these dogs want is a gold medal!
SHOW YOUR STACHE: A well-kept mane usually determines the beauty of a horse. And at the Haddam Neck Fair, men can take part! Enter the beard contest where your facial hair is judged on length, fullness, neatness and of course the quality of your sideburns. Ladies, if you’re feeling left out, enter the skillet throwing contest. That, we think, is pretty much self-explanatory.
BE A PAWN -- OR KING: The Queen of England will be making a special appearance at the ISD Renaissance Festival in Riverside (Greenwich) in search of the most chivalrous of men. How will she find her knight in shining armor? The contest is just your regular, everyday human chess match where living chess pieces battle for the chance to oust their enemies. See, we knew chess wasn't that boring!
Got another fair-y tale? Let us know below!
