The Big E

When I was young the favorite fall activity was attending the Springfield Fair. Officially the Eastern States Exposition, it was (and is) a surrogate state fair for the six New England colonies, each of which is too tiny to mount a state fair of midwestern proportions. For reasons I cannot explain, I had never been to Springfield Fair, or "Eastern States" as we sometimes called it, or the Big E as it is known now. So when my family asked what I wanted for my birthday, which occured earlier this month, I said "Take me to the Big E!"

The Big E began in 1916 as an agricultural show, and it remains substantially so today. It is held in West Springfield, Massachusetts, over 17 days in September and October. We arrived as the Jersey cows were entering the show ring, and took a stroll through the barns of sheep, goats, pigs and poultry. There's a large presence of FFA and 4H Clubs, dairy promotions and plenty of handicrafts. But agriculture takes machinery so not far from the gate we were greeted by vintage tractors. These were mainly Farmalls and John Deeres, but there was also an assortment of garden tractors. I was delighted to find an old friend, a Farmall F-12, just like the one I drove in my farming period, right down to the accessory overdrive for road travel.

I was surprised there were so few exhibits of new tractors, just a Bobcat among the backhoes and loaders, and a bevy of TYM tractors, a make I'd never heard of but which are built in Korea. New England is snow country, so of course there were snow plows aplenty and the first ever MXT International pickup I'd seen in person.

But what about cars? Were there cars at the Big E? Well, there was a Subway/Aflac Ford Fusion racer, with obligatory false face, and soon I stumbled across a slightly slammed AMC Hornet. It turned out to be one of the cars from the James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun, a center-steer stunt car from the barrel roll scene, the work of stuntman and demo derby entrepreneur Jay Milligan.

It was Connecticut Day, so we went to the Connecticut building, and saw author Billy Steers autographing children's books with his own Tractor Mac Farmall Cub. Around the back was a mysterious 1929 Buick and a Camaro convertible ostensibly for Connecticut's Outstanding Teen, Acacia Courtney. The Connecticut State Police had an authentic 1958 Ford cruiser of the type I remember, correctly fitted out with lights, radio and three speed stick shift, just as I remember back in the day. They also had later generations of LTD cruisers and a current Crown Vic, and even one of the short run of Plymouths ordered by Governor Meskill back in the 1970s. A flock of Harley-Davidsons completed their display.

Close by was a GM Futurliner bus, now owned by Springfield's Peter Pan Bus Company, and a curious thing promoting Lupa Zoo, which displayed some of the customary characteristics of a car. And then there were trucks, from the local chapter of the American Truck Historical Society. Announcing that the national ATHS show is coming to the Big E grounds in 2012, they had assembled a good contingent, including an authentically-outfitted 1924 Model T huckster wagon. Chevrolet is the "official car" of the Big E, enshrined in Chevrolet Court and centerpiecing a new Camaro. Much play was given to the fuel cell Equinox and ethanol-drinking HHR.

But the Big E is hardly a car show. There's a big midway with rides, state exhibits like Massachusetts cranberries, and pitchmen for every concievable contraption, from floor mops to Sham Wow. We filled up on fair food, walked our feet off and had a thoroughly good time. You can, too. The Big E runs through October 4th.