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Topsfield Fair to kick off Friday afternoon

The Giant Pumpkin Contest at the Topsfield Fair is “a huge draw,” a spokesman said.Aram Boghosian for The Boston Globe/File

The 198th annual Topsfield Fair, featuring giant pumpkins, emu racing, and an Olympic athlete, officially begins Friday.

To kickstart the events on Friday evening, the fair will host the annual giant pumpkin weigh-off, in which growers from across New England will compete to see who has grown the largest pumpkin, said fair spokesman David Thomson.

“It is a huge draw. The winning pumpkin gets moved into its own enclosed house in the fruit and vegetable barn and it’s on display for the duration of the fair,” Thomson said. “The five running-up pumpkins will be on display as well.”

The heaviest pumpkin on record weighed in at 2,009 pounds in 2012, according to a statement from the Topsfield Fair.

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Pumpkins are not the only draw to the fair this year.

Also present will be Abbey D’Agostino, the Olympic athlete who received a sportsmanship award after she helped New Zealand Runner Nikki Hamblin get up after the two took a tumble during the women’s 5,000-meter race.

D’Agostino, a Topsfield native who grew up near the fairgrounds, will be the grand marshal during the parade on Saturday morning, a ceremonial opening to the fair, Thomson said.

“We’re so excited to have her, especially with the impact she made over the Summer Olympics,” Thomson said.

And this fall the fair is featuring a brand-new event — emu racing, he said.

“A company brings the emus and they set up a racing area on site,” Thomson said. “They will then call people down from the audience who will stand with the emus at the gate and whoever’s emu get there first, wins.”

The fair, which begins at 1 p.m. Friday, will last through Columbus Day on Oct. 10, he said.


Olivia Quintana can be reached at olivia.quintana@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @oliviasquintana.