According to Maureen Murphy, secretary/treasurer of the Richmond Fair board, close to 1,000 people came out to the “drive through” fair on Saturday evening. Planned to help bridge the gap for the community in a year where all regular fair activities have been cancelled to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, the event invited people to come tour the grounds in their vehicle before parking for a socially-distanced fireworks show.
“We’re very happy,” Murphy said, sharing that the turnout was much higher than expected. “You never know how this sort of thing will go.”
Those in attendance were instructed to stay in their cars and wear their masks in order to help keep the risk of infection low. Drivers of the 225 vehicles that came out were then directed along a path that wove its way across the fairgrounds past displays of vintage and modern farm equipment. The flow of cars and trucks was more or less constant from 6:30 p.m. to the start of the fireworks at 8 p.m.
Life-size models of the animals one might normally see at the fair, and one abnormally large chicken, were arranged along the route near the barns and buildings where their living equivalents would normally be found, and a display of flowers was visible near the Ladies’ Department. Members of the fair board waved hello to the passersby near the office and members of the 4H and scouts were on hand to pass out Coaticook ice cream and popcorn, respectively.
Reflecting on the turnout, the secretary/treasurer speculated that the popularity of the event might have been helped by the fact that there were so few opportunities to go out and see fireworks this past summer.
