NEW ENGLAND'S AGRICULTURAL TRADITION

For Immediate Release 8/8/07 

 

BIG E 2007  

  NEW ENGLAND 'S AGRICULTURAL TRADITION  

The Big E continues the mission of its founder, Joshua L. Brooks, to highlight the produce, products and animals of New England farmers. The Big E is the largest fair and livestock show in New England , attracting over one million visitors annually, and is known for its numerous agricultural exhibits and contests, traditional and modern agricultural demonstrations and educational displays. 

This year, The Big E takes place Sept. 14-30 at Eastern States Exposition's 175 acre facility in West Springfield , Mass. The focal point of livestock shows, contests and exhibits is the Mallary Complex with the Farm-A-Rama exhibit in the Stroh Building featuring special exhibits and attractions, all designed to educate the public about the large role agriculture plays in daily life. 

Agricultural Demonstrations - Visit the Mallary Agricultural Complex to see the 400-foot walkway filled with animals, exhibits and agriculture demonstrations. Come watch sheep being sheared, listen to a talking refrigerator tell you about nutrition, and play the 3-A-Day dairy game show. Check out the interactive agriculture exhibits and learn how agriculture affects the economy and our day-to-day life. 
Butter Sculpture, sponsored by the New England Dairy Promotion Board  - See master butter sculptor Jim Victor create this year's amazing work of art, a classic milk delivery truck made from 600 pounds of fresh butter. Watch it come to life throughout the week under the Rotunda of the Mallary Complex. 
The Fiber Nook - Watch how wool and fiber from animals is turned into useful everyday articles. The Fiber Nook showcases spinning and weaving techniques and products made of wool, alpaca and other camelid fibers. After you've watched how the process works, the finely crafted end-products are for sale in the Fiber Nook as well. 

Milking Parlor - Learn about the milking process up close and personal while cows are milked in this state-of-the-art parlor. You can see modern milking techniques twice each day of the Fair by dairy exhibitors. And if you miss the demonstration, a continuously running closed-captioned educational video, in both English and Spanish, explains the process and provides nutritional information about dairy products. Be sure to try some fresh dairy products, including different flavors of Guida milk in the "Super Single" 12 oz. bottle and delicious milkshakes available at The Dairy Bar under the Mallary Rotunda. 

Contests of Strength and Stamina - Don't forget to set aside some time to visit the Coliseum! The Sheep Dog demonstrations are scheduled throughout the days of Sept. 17 & 18. Witness the amazing strength of horses and oxen in Horse Pulling Competitions Sept. 24 and Ox Pulling Competitions Sept. 25.  

Giant Pumpkin and Squash Contest - Fri., Sept. 14 (youth) and Fri., Sept. 21 (adult) at And you thought your jack-o-lantern was big last year. Come see contestants try to break the giant pumpkin record set in 2005 at 1,214.5 lbs. Farm-A-Rama - Animals are everywhere at Farm-A-Rama, from minute-old baby chicks to the "gentle giants," the famed Hallamore Clydesdales, celebrating their 33rd anniversary. And don't miss the wonderful artistry of the FFA Landscape and Floriculture Exhibits and Competitions. High school students will work in groups to create landscape and floral designs for the Eastern Regional Competition. A new exhibit featured this year, Dairy to Doorstep, traces the way milk was processed and transported from farm to homes. The exhibit shows examples from 1860 to the present time. A key element to Farm-A-Rama is interaction between the public, the animals and farm experts. Check out the large, central exhibit that will relate animals, their nutrition and the impact on our everyday life; try your hand at milking Lucy, our Holstein model cow. You'll find all this and more at Farm-A-Rama in the Stroh   Building . 
Christmas Tree Contest and Exhibit - Christmas in Fall? Why not? Big E 2007 welcomes back the New England Christmas Tree Growers as they present educational demos on Christmas trees in their area near the Mallary Rotunda. There will also be a contest held for the best Christmas tree and wreath at the show. 
Lost Gardens of New England Exhibit in the New England   Center will hold 28 framed images and 9 text panels that will be enhanced with a waterscape background. The images capture each garden at a single moment in time from the mid-1800s. Many of these images are the only record of a specific garden's existence. 
Creative Arts Show - If you are skilled in sewing, quilting, knitting, crocheting, beading, decorative painting on fabric or hand weaving, this is a great opportunity to show off your talents. Participants can enter in a number of general craft divisions or choose to create something within our special theme, "Celebration of the Performing Arts." All crafters are welcome and volunteers are encouraged to participate. Creative Art judging will occur within the week prior to opening day of September 14 and all exhibits will be displayed for the entire duration of the Fair. Entry deadline is August 15 with judging on Monday, September 10. Results will be posted on the website as soon as judging is complete. 
Northeast Gold Wine Competition - The competition was held on June 2, 2007 at the Crown   Plaza in Cromwell , Connecticut .  There were over 70 medal winners and 26 wineries participating. This competition is regional and will continue to be available to all vinifera, hybrid and native grape wines, meads, fruit wines and fortified wines produced in wineries located in New England and New York . A complete list of results from the second Annual Big E Northeast Gold Wine Competition is available online at Eastern States Exposition's website, www.thebige.com/agriculture.  All medal winners will be showcased and on display in the Harvest New England Kitchen Theater. 
4-H Activities - Over 1,200 4-H club members participate in The Big E. As guests of the Exposition, 4-Hers take part in competitions showing sheep, dogs, horses, dairy goats and dairy and beef cattle. They also test their skills in quiz bowls and demonstrate various crafts in the New England   Center . 
The 4-H Beef Project  will culminate Monday, Sept. 24 at with the 4-H Beef Sale . After four days of various competitions, the steer, which have been raised for 9 months by 4-H members, will be auctioned. Proceeds from this project often are used by the 4-Her for college funds or to purchase a steer for next year. The project is designed to teach agricultural business management and economics. 
Eastern States Exposition Horse Show, sponsored by Williams Distributing - A tradition at The Big E, the prestigious Eastern States Exposition Horse Show offers top competitors from throughout the Northeast an opportunity to showcase their talents against some of the best riders and horses in the land. There's plenty of thrilling equestrian competition to watch, so grab a snack or beverage and find a seat in the grandstand as all the action unfolds in the ring. It all begins with the Saddlebred, Morgan, Hackney and Friesian show, Sept. 14-16, followed by Hunters and Jumpers Sept. 19-23 featuring the USHJA Zone 1 Classic Challenge. Finally, mighty and powerful hitches compete in the Draft Horse Show Sept. 27-30. The event includes the prestigious $30,000 Big E Draft Horse Showdown. All horse shows are held in the Coliseum. 
Celebrate the best of New England at The Big E, Sept. 14-30, 2007 in West Springfield , Mass. For more information, visit our website at www.thebige.com

Additional Press Information: Eastern States Exposition Agriculture and Education Department   aginfo@thebige.com (413)-205-5011