Lost Cowboy

It is no secret that I love street fairs.  I like everything from the big city street markets to the rural farmers’ markets.  However, there is a special place in my heart for the good old small town fundraiser fairs – like church fairs, local garden club fairs and the like that are in full bloom in the summer.

Driving around New England in the summer, you are sure to come across a fair or two on any given weekend – and if you are like me, you are compelled to stop and every now and then you may find something amazing.

There are a few fairs up here in New Hampshire that I try to visit every summer, and none more than the Huggins Hospital Street Fair held on the first Friday and Saturday of August in glorious Wolfeboro, NH – which I attended last weekend.

My love of the Huggins Hospital Street Fair is part nostalgic, as we visited this fair every summer when I was a kid while summering in nearby Tuftonboro, NH.  Now as an adult, I love visiting the fair to support the cause, as well as pick up some treasures in the fair’s wonderful “White Elephant” tents.

This fair is spread out over Brewster Field overlooking Wolfeboro Bay on Lake Winnipesaukee.  The setting is amazing, and so are the various tents.  There are rides and games for the kids, food and drinks galore, and all sorts of things designed to raise money for the nonprofit hospital.  But I come for those “White Elephant” tents.

The tent are amazing.  All year the organizers of the fair collect donations and prepare for the fair.  On these two days in August, they set up an wonderful array of tents sorted by merchandise.  There is a huge book tent (where I spend most of my time), a treasure-filled art tent (which I head to first) as well as tents for household items, clothing, sporting goods, furniture and much more.  To cap it all off, there is a great auction featuring the most desirable items.

A few of the things I purchased this year will show up in future posts as “Favorite Finds” – but let’s just say for now the Huggins Hospital Street Fair lived up to my expectations as one of the best events of the summer.

If you are like me and love to putter around these types of fairs, never pass up an opportunity to visit a local church fair or other such event – and, don’t forget these fairs’ cool cousin – the small town library book sale!