Celebrating the Garden State

By Brianne Harrison

New Jersey’s nickname, the Garden State, is hardly a misnomer: despite being the most densely populated state in the country, there are still plenty of acres being actively farmed, and the state is rightly famed for certain crops, such as the Jersey tomato. Throughout the week, you can celebrate the state’s bounty (and quite a bit else) at the Warren County Farmer’s Fair, which began August 1 and wraps up on Saturday, August 7.

The fair offers something to appeal to everyone—live entertainment, an antique car show, rides, food, classic contests such as pie eating and tractor pulling, a talent show, a pet show, dancing, and a 4-H seeing eye dog demonstration. For those who missed the recent Festival of Ballooning, the Farmers’ Fair includes its own Balloon Fest, during which colorful hot air balloons will ascend to the sky. You can join their liftoff with tethered rides every night from 4-8 p.m.

For the equestrians in the family, there’ll be horse shows and riding demonstrations every day of the fair. Check out a jousting demonstration on Wednesday evening, the 4-H horse costume class on Thursday, Friday’s demonstration of different types of riding, or Saturday’s open English and Western pleasure horse show.

Setting this fair apart from most other agricultural celebrations is the 13^th Annual Traditional Arts Expo, which features local artisans demonstrating various traditional crafts, such as lacemaking, yarn dying, and handweaving. Members of the Hunterdon County Quilt Guild and the Evening Star Quilt Guild will display their creations, alongside the work of the Warren County Needle Arts Guild and the Lost Lacers of North Jersey.

The fair is open 10 a.m.to 10 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children aged 5-12. Children 4 and under are admitted free. For more information, visit warrencountyfarmersfair.org.