When the clock struck noon Thursday, the long line of people waiting for the 164th Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Fair marched in to enjoy the rides, see the animals and taste the culinary delights.
They were kept waiting longer than usual, as morning rains drenched the Agricultural Hall grounds in West Tisbury, delaying opening by two hours.
At the front of the entry line, one group of girls said they had butterflies in their stomach. They plan to come back every day this weekend to enjoy all that the fair has to offer. For 11-year-old Georgette, the fair is the event of the year.
“I’ve been waiting for this for so long,” she said.
Her friend Taeko chimed in, “For a year. We’ve been waiting since the last fair ended.”
“I’m just so excited to be back,” Georgette said.
This year’s fair had more than 4,000 entries including crafts, food items, farm animals, and competitions. Ten-year-old Mirabai entered a cake, a bouquet of flowers, and two zucchinis in this year’s fair. She looked forward to seeing if her submissions won anything.
“I’m hoping to, but if I don’t, I’m going to be okay,” she said.
The day before the fair began, preparations were well on their way at the Ag Hall. The Ferris wheel went for a test ride, while the animals curled up in the barn, patiently waiting for the weekend’s competitions to commence.
Carnival worker Matthew Hayden was busy working on some last-minute touches for his new carnival game: a giant-sized sand box with remote control trucks to dig up hidden treasure.
Mr. Hayden said he always wanted to have his own carnival game.
“I’ve wanted to be a carney since I was a kid. And, my dream is coming true right now at 53.”
In the hall, volunteers were busy hanging quilts from the ceiling and finding the perfect spot for each food entry. Susanne Cronin, this year’s hall manager, guided the team through the bustling day.
Ms. Cronin has volunteered at the fair for 39 years, but this is only her third year as hall manager. Ms. Cronin took over after longtime hall manager Janice Haynes died of cancer in 2024.
A light blue bench with Ms. Haynes’ name written on it stands in the corner of the hall with a small lamp and three small vases of fresh flowers above it. Ms. Cronin reflected on her favorite fair memory with Ms. Haynes.
“We went outside, we made slushies, and we were dancing to Johnny Hoy,” she said. “I knew she was not gonna be with us much longer.”
Ms. Cronin said she loves to see new energy and connections form in the hall.
“The old and the new, they work really well together, and I love to see that,” she said.
The fair has seen some changes this year, including an earlier start date. Ms. Cronin said she’s not afraid of the change.
“I just turned 70, and I feel like I’m always learning, and that keeps me on my toes,” she said.
Over in the barn, Tom Thomas and George Hartman set up their display of old engines. Mr. Hartman has been the head of the museum and antique engine section of the fair for more than 50 years. This weekend, he will help operate an old boiler engine that requires a huge pot of boiling water, fuel, and a special license to operate.
Aside from working on the engines, Mr. Hartman said his highlight of the fair is the “greasy food.”
“It’s the main event of the year, really. And it’s also a sign that Labor Day is coming,” he said.
Mr. Thomas has been part of the fair since he was 12 years old, and said he’s seen the fair “grow up a lot” over the years. Mr. Thomas, who drove the West Tisbury school bus for many years, said the fair is a full circle experience.
“The people who are running it now are kids that were on my school bus,” he said. “Seeing kids growing up and becoming successful, it’s good to see, because maybe I affected them a little bit.”
Adam Petkus and Evan Hammond, who both grew up in West Tisbury, set up their root beer float stand called Floaters. They started the stand in 2009, and have been at the fair annually ever since.
“When we started, we were the new guys, and now we’re one of the older booths at the fair,” Mr. Hammond said.
Mr. Petkus said the fair will always be a special place for him, and is one of the main things that keeps him connected to the Island. His wife, Blossom Petkus, has a stall selling dresses right next door to Floaters. This year they will bring their four-year-old daughter and nine-month old son to the fair.
“I hope, one day, that my kids will do a booth or take this one over, and we’ll just make this a little Petkus corner down here,” Mr. Petkus said.
On Thursday, Joan Grangenois-Thomas and her daughter Kiah Thomas headed toward the Ag Hall barn to check out the animals. They said they’ve seen their own interests at the fair develop over the past 10 years.
“When they were younger, it was more about the rides and the animals, and now it’s more about the gifts and the tchotchke things that we can buy. It’s through the different lenses that we’ve seen what those changes are,” Ms. Grangenois-Thomas said.
Sally Rizzo, the deputy fair manager, has volunteered at the fair for seven years. Her favorite thing to do is head into the barn to see the animals before the chaos of the fair starts. The variety of the fair is what keeps her coming back to help each year.
“We have something for everybody. We have good food, we have the rides, we have the animals. Anybody who comes can enjoy any part of it…it’s just a really great family event.”
This article appears in August 14, 2026.
PLease tell us a bit about the beautiful bovines pictured here.