WEST SPRINGFIELD — For 17 days every September, The Big E becomes the cholesterol capital of the Commonwealth.
Imagine what somebody would order for their last meal and you just might find it at New England’s largest agricultural fair, which runs through Sunday.
But it’s so much more than an eat-a-thon.
This is an agricultural expo with a major-league carnival of rides. It’s also the only multi-state fair in the country, a celebration of the six New England states: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
Is it worth going ?
Absolutely.
Donna Jenness of Southbury, Conn. loves to arrive early at the chicken hatchery in the Farm-A-Rama. Outside the window of the 96-degree incubator room, it’s fun to watch the chicks come into the world. Jenness grew up on a farm and has been coming to the fair since she was 4 years old. She watches a few dozen eggs simultaneously and gives a play-by-play.
“Look, he’s coming out. Oohhh, he’s coming out. This is awesome. I think when they’re born, this is like, miraculous. Isn’t it? I think it’s amazing. It never gets old. You know what I mean?”
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Last year, 2,880 eggs were hatched during the fair, which was attended by nearly 1.5 million people. On a recent Saturday, a record 121,854 partied at the fair. That’s more than the population of Hartford, jammed into a 32-city-block area.
Derek Amaral of West Warwick, R.I. eats a giant turkey leg that looks to be straight out of “The Flintstones” as he tours the midway of carnival rides and games. Compared to another of the fair’s offerings, his is one of the healthier choices: The Quad-Father is four cheeseburgers, strips of bacon and pickles, topped with house sauce and fried onions.
There are more than 150 different food venues, most of them featuring deep-fried offerings.
Is this place a heart attack waiting to happen?
“It could be. If you stayed here long enough,” he says.
There’s also a circus, a variety of equestrian shows, musical guests, and a daily New Orleans Mardi Gras parade, complete with marching bands and revelers on floats, tossing beads. The HKS Clydesdale horses from Duxbury are in their full glory.
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Can West Springfield turn into Bourbon Street? The answer is yes.
Merchants hawk their wares. Some folks pretend to be interested in high-tech bed mattresses and vibrating chairs just to get a break from all that walking.
For those too hot or too cold, the 150-foot-high Super Wheel (aka, Ferris wheel) not only offers a great view but happens to be climate-controlled.
Not to be missed is the Avenue of the States, where replicas of each New England state capitol building celebrate each state’s unique creations and cuisine.
In the Maine building, Rosanna Welner of Brunswick stuffs fresh lobster meat, with just a touch of mayonnaise, into hot dog buns that go for $22 each. She wears a lobster hat, but she’s no crustacean fan.
“My sister-in-law is the boss,” says Welner. “She doesn’t have to worry about me eating the profits. Believe it or not, I don’t care for lobster. I tried it but I don’t care for it.”
The real stars of the Big E are the 3,000 animals who appear in dozens of competitions, shows, and a petting zoo. Willow, an alpaca, has a crazy hairdo and is very friendly. Her owner says she was bottle-fed as a baby.
Watching sheep get prepped for a show is fascinating. Every animal is “foofed” and “poofed” like Taylor Swift must be before showtime.
The cattle competition is exhausting. Bathed in sunlight, Colt Card, 10, of Billerica, naps in the stable on Lorraine, his year-and-a-half-old cow, which failed to win a ribbon.
When he wakes, Card still snuggles with her.
“I love her because she’s the best cow here,” he says proudly. “Sadly, she didn’t win, but I love her anyway.”
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Stan Grossfeld can be reached at stanley.grossfeld@globe.com.