“The kids are so excited when they come, and the reaction out on the field even more so,” said Della Weidel, the Fair’s education day chairperson. “They ask very good questions. They love to do activities and games … they get to experience different foods that they probably have never tried before.”
The loud and flashy parts of the Fair at New Boston got plenty of attention. When the Mad River Light Artillery unit fired its cannon, it amazed some children, while others covered their ears and closed their eyes.
Some older kids got to fire an old flintlock rifle with careful help from re-enactors.
“We want to educate students about the 18th century. A lot of us here are just history lovers, myself included,” said Weidel, who is also a teacher. “I want to pass on the love of learning about history. There’s so much to it — way more than you ever learned in a classroom.”
Weidel said the hands-on activities of the fair are a big draw.
“It becomes real, maybe three-dimensional is the word — they can touch it, they can feel it, they can smell it,” she said.
The 42nd Fair at New Boston is 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at George Rogers Clark Park, 930 S. Tecumseh Road in Bethel Twp. outside of Springfield.
The Fair focuses on the period of 1790-1810. It includes a Shay’s Rebellion battle reenactment at 2 p.m. each day, displays including a Swordsmanship Museum and a Native American village, and entertainment such as tightrope walkers and 18th century baroque music.
Weidel said Friday’s education day included hundreds of homeschool students, as well as kids from eight local schools. They got to learn about the militia from just after the time of the American Revolution and talk to re-enactor soldiers in period dress, with 18th-century weapons.
“It makes it real to them, and not just a story in a book,” she said.
