Imagine a fair with its very own circus and Mardi Gras-style parades and a Midway chock-a-block with amusement rides and hundreds of agricultural, livestock and craft contests and exhibits.
Add to that a historic village -- with a white steepled meetinghouse and a working blacksmith shop -- and dozens of popular entertainers and a giant indoor emporium, where gadgets, electronics, jewelry, clothing, specialty foods, cookware and home furnishings are available by the thousands to promote "better living."
And where scores upon scores of food and refreshment booths offer a panoply of delights, from yummy Rhode Island clam fritters and Vermont cheddar cheese to sweet fried jelly beans and New Orleans beignets.
Imagine it all, and you've envisioned the Big E, which opens Friday and runs through Oct. 3 at the Eastern States Exposition fairgrounds in West Springfield, Mass.
Founded in 1916, the Big E has become an annual tradition for generations of families, notes fair spokeswoman Sue Gallup, pointing out that the fair, which covers about 175 acres, attracted more than 1.25 million visitors last year from New England and beyond.
And if the weather cooperates, the number of visitors is expected to meet or exceed that figure, she says, as travelers continue the trend of staying closer to home for their vacations and weekend getaways.
Gallup notes that the Big E's Avenue of the States, where each of the six New England states is represented with a building that is a scaled-down replica of its own state capitol, continues to be one of the fair's most popular destinations. It is where visitors can pick up free travel maps and brochures, and purchase an array of food specialty items and household products particular to each state.
Connecticut Day will be celebrated there on Wednesday, Sept. 22, sponsored by NewAlliance Bank, with performances by several Connecticut-based groups, including the Farmington Valley Association Chorus.
New this year, visitors can participate in one of the fair's daily Mardi Gras parades by riding on a float and tossing beaded necklaces to fairgoers. Cost is $10, and advance reservations are required by visiting the fair's website. (Parades take place weekends at 5 p.m., weekdays at 1 and 8 p.m.)
Always a big draw at the Big E is its slate of free entertainment.
On stage, for example, in the 6,000-seat Comcast Arena, will be five free weekend performances: country singer Jason Michael Carroll, with guest Jessie James, on Sept. 24 at 8 p.m.; The Boys in Concert, reuniting the original stars of Broadway's "Jersey Boys," Sept. 25 at 8 p.m.; "American Idol" finalist Danny Gokey Sept. 26 at 7 p.m.; pop's Boys Like Girls Oct. 2 at 8 p.m.; and country singer Laura Bell Bundy Oct. 3 at 7 p.m.
And for those who want to avoid standing in line for any of these concerts, reserved tickets for $10 per person are now available; ticket holders will be able to enter the arena through a special gate immediately prior to the start of the concert. (Tickets need to be purchased online, with a "print-at-home" ticket e-mailed immediately to the purchaser.)
This year's Big E also will feature three concerts requiring tickets (the cost will include fair admission): Owl City on Saturday at 8 p.m., $29.95; Terry Fator on Sunday at 7 p.m., $45 and $35; and Miranda Lambert, with Eric Church and Josh Kelley, Oct. 1 at 8 p.m., $39 and $29 ($49 seats have sold out).
A favorite must-see each year for many fairgoers is the fun exhibit that's sponsored by theMassachusetts Dairy Farmers. Butter artist-in-residence Jim Victor -- working in a specially designed cooler under the Mallary Rotunda -- will sculpt an original piece of art from more than 600 pounds of butter donated by Agrimark/Cabot Creamery. Every year this eye-catcher has a different theme: The 2010 sculpture will depict a barefoot boy riding an ox through a field.
