The Queens County Farm Museum celebrated its 40th annual County Fair from Sept. 8 to Sept. 10, and numerous Queens residents and leaders — including Mayor Eric Adams — were on hand to take part in the festivities.
The three-day event kicked off Sept. 8 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Some of the notable individuals in attendance included Mayor Adams, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, State Senator John Liu, Council member Linda Lee, Assemblyman Edward Braunstein and Queens County Farm Museum Executive Director Jennifer Walden Weprin.
In addition to the ribbon-cutting, there was a live DJ and Motown concert at the farm to celebrate the beginning of the fair. Farm co-curator Malik Work greeted fair-goers with some of Queens’ favorite sonic selections before Dr. K’s Motown Revue performed joyful and soul-warming offerings.
The County Fair also marked the introduction of East Coast Street Tacos‘ limited edition 40th anniversary apple cider margarita and souvenir cup. This was just one of many different local culinary offerings present there throughout the weekend. Other food vendors included Teriyaki Plus, CBao Asian Buns, TaDa Noodles, Tania’s Kitchen, Our Green Acres Corn, Ed’s Italian Sausage and Polish, Long Island Seafood, Cousins Maine Lobster, Wafels and Dinges, Kelli’s Funnel Cake and more.
“Fourty never looked so good!,” Weprin said. “There is something for everyone at the 40th Annual Queens County Fair between the opening Motown concert, two full days of live entertainment on the Main Stage and the Family Entertainment Tent, plus the Taste NY Pavilion, all of our community collaborations and free mac and cheese. We are so excited to welcome everyone down on the farm.”
The weekend featured a full lineup of traditional county fair programming, including the Amazing Maize Maze, NYC’s only corn maze, sponsored by Con Edison. The maze was shaped in the theme of a 1954 Ford tractor.
The Taste of New York Pavilion showcased the food growers and producers of New York State. A leading vertical mushroom farmer on hand offered gourmet mushroom tastings, recipes and education materials. There was a tractor exhibit which highlighted the evolution of farming. The Colonial Lab at the Adriance Farmhouse offered historic house tours and demonstrations, including butter churning, colonial cooking and quill writing.
Fairgoers had the option to take part in free STEAM activities as part of the Lewis Latimer House Museum’s Mobile Lewis Latimer Lab, which was showcasing its state-of-the-art mobile TinkerLab. The Farm’s arts parlor partnered with Commonpoint Queens to offer free face painting, caricatures, farm-themed temporary tattoos and the Growing Artists Challenge, where kids drew their favorite farm animals for an exciting chance to be featured in future Queens County Farm Museum maps and signage.
Makers across the state were invited to showcase their work and compete for a coveted award ribbon or a golden cow adorned best-in-show trophy. The six divisions included arts and crafts, culinary arts, vegetables, apiculture, flower arranging and horticulture.
A Beer Garden showcased beer and cider in the state curated by Queens Night Market, along with the Museum’s famed apple cider donuts and pies, were also available.
Some of the performers on the main stage included the New York City-based all-women Brazilian Samba Reggae drum line “Fogo Azul,” Louis Armstrong Eternity Band, the Bone Squad, Surya Botofasina Band and MOMENTNYC: Tribute to Queens. The Family Entertainment Tent featured Midnight Radio Show, the NuTribe Dance Company, jugglers and acrobats for interactive family fun. Shinbone Alley Stilt Band and Harold the Unicycle Clown also made appearances there. Free games were also found there.
The Con Edison Ecology Booth brought attendees free crafts, sustainability tips and the popular Adopt-a-Worm composting program. They also provided apiary talks in partnership with New York City’s Andrew’s Honey.
