Village Fair Days '12

The 45th annual Village Fair Days on the Village Green in New Milford is like a neighborhood block party for thousands.

Each summer, at the same time and place, the Greater New Milford Chamber of Commerce welcomes area residents to stop by and catch up on who's had a baby, what college their recent high school graduates will attend and where they are working.

Mix all that conversation with the incredible smells of fried dough, fresh-popped kettle corn, and beef on the barbecue, and Village Fair Days are a winner -- come rain or shine.

Last weekend's 45th renewal offered excellent weather on Friday and started strong Saturday, but rain through much of the afternoon thinned out the booths and the crowd.

Fair patrons not only visited with old friends and neighbors during the fair's two-day run but checked out booths of hand-blown glass sculptures, ragged-edge quilts, silver jewelry, tie-dyed shirts and skirts, and bottles of olive oil with added flavors, among many others.

Or they headed to the south end of the Green to the business and nonprofit organizations' booths, many of them offering give-away items.

For the children, there were inflatable bouncy houses, wash-off tattoos, sand art, and all the carbohydrates they could consume in an afternoon.

Keli Solomon, a Schaghticoke Middle School teacher, said she was seeking handmade crafts to give as Christmas gifts.

Rebecca Myhill, soon to start her junior year at New Milford High School, never misses the fair as a chance to catch up with friends she might not otherwise see until school begins.

"It's fun to come back every year," she said.

nhutson@newstimes.com;860-354-2274; http://twitter.com/NTNanci