Salisbury Beach
Politics
Topsfield Fair celebrates 206th year with food, animals, giant pumpkins
TOPSFIELD - For 206 years and counting, the Topsfield Fair has been an iconic October event in Massachusetts."It's the grandaddy, it's Americana. It's mom and apple pie. It's everything that America, the true essence of what America is," Topsfield Fair worker E.J. Deen said.This year the fair is ready to welcome people to the fairground in droves with their rides, food, and games offerings. The fair also boasts dozens of farm animals from cows to fluffy bunnies and pigs."As you can see they're snoozing at the moment but then when they get zipping around, and they're just fun they are...
Steve Connolly is the winner of the 40th Annual All New England Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off
It’s official: Steve Connolly is your winner of the 40th Annual All New England Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off at the Topsfield Fair. Connolly certainly isn’t a spring chicken, winning for the 4th time, becoming “the winningest grower in the history of the competition.” Connolly previously won in 2016, 2010, and 2000. The pumpkin, otherwise known as a gourd, came in at a whopping 2,211 pounds, which is extremely impressive. The largest pumpkin came back in 2022 when Jamie Graham, of Tyngsboro, came in with a 2,480-pound gourd. The ginormous pumpkin will be on display for all to see in a very specifically designed case within the fruits and vegetable building at the fair until October 14.
To Address Shortage, Haverhill to Allow Civilian Flaggers on Road Work Sites
The City Council last week gave its approval to allowing civilian traffic flaggers at area construction sites because of a shortage of uniformed help. Mayor Melinda E. Barrett explained the city has had difficulty filling detail positions on construction sites. She said allowing civilian help “is an effort to expand the pool of people to do flagging and keep traffic moving around job sites.” Police Chief Robert P. Pistone said the ordinance “speaks for itself.”
Conservation Commission Hears Plan to Clean Former Haverhill Coal Gas Manufacturing Site
The proposed spring cleanup of a downtown site once used to manufacture home heating, cooking and lighting gas will involve treating groundwater, capping and excavating, including within the adjacent Little River. The Haverhill Conservation Commission heard plans by Boston Gas Thursday to address more than 170 years of coal gas-related...
What is Dock Dogs? Catch this dog-jumping competition at the Topsfield Fair
The Topsfield Fair is known for housing pigs, rabbits, cows and other farm animals — but fairgoers may notice a surplus of dogs at this year’s fair. That’s because of Dock Dogs, which made its debut at the 2024 Topsfield Fair when it opened for an 11-day run on Friday, Oct. 4.
Merrimack Valley Planning Commission Names Distefano as Community Planner
Tyler T. Distefano recently joined the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission as a community planner. Distefano is an addition to the Haverhill-based Commission’s Community and Economic Development program. As a community planner, he supports a variety of department and agency projects such as the Priority Growth Strategy and Housing Production Plans.
Haverhill Public Library Plans 7th Annual Fall Trivia Fundraiser Oct. 11
Trivia is at the heart of the Haverhill Public Library’s Seventh Annual Fall Fundraiser Friday. There will be food, fun, a silent auction and trivia with all proceeds going directly to the library to provide public services to the public. The event takes place Friday, Oct. 11, 7 p.m.,...
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.