A varied group of showmen and other participants brought to life Adams Agricultural Fair for attendees of many interests.
Joe Moncecchi attended the Aggie Fair to represent Northern Berkshire Bee keepers Association, where he serves as vice president. Moncecchi, an owner of 50 hives himself, said he came to provide information and recruit new beekeepers. The group also raffled off a beehive.
"It’s all about pollination," Moncecchi said. "Bee keeping helps create huge increases in wild berries and other fruits, local gardens and plant life in general. People see benefits just from living near a beekeeper, so it’s good for the neighborhood, too."
Moncecchi spent the days handing out honey sticks to those asking questions about the beekeeping process. By Sunday evening, he’d already handed out 400 sticks.
Among the most popular questions Moncecchi fielded regarded honey bee stings -- a notion he duly shot down because honey bees avoid losing the one stinger they have at all costs -- and the hive hierarchy and "queen bees."
Mike and Rosa Gross were part of a husband-wife knife throwing team who put on their "One Sharp Marriage" performance three times in as many days, Friday through Sunday.
The Aggie Fair has become something of a tradition for the pair, who said they’ve "made a lot of friends" in Adams by putting on the act over the years.
"The great thing about a small fair is you
The fun included -- new this year -- tomahawk throwing for one dollar, which saw willing participants range from young children to 80-year-olds.
"This is really our passion," Rosa Gross said. "And it was nice to be under a pavilion instead of a tent this year."
Next year, the couple has plans of incorporating horseback riding and tomahawk throwing -- done simultaneously -- into their act.
Covering more ground at the fair, Lisa Casagrande came in a giant trailer that housed a New England watershed habitat with more than 40 model creatures inside. Casagrande and several others were representing the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge.
Guiding interested attendees through the trailer "habitat" all afternoon, the group had the goal of increasing awareness about protecting environments.
"Silvio O. Conte had the vision of keeping the Connecticut River Watershed available for generations and generations," Casagrande said. "We try to work with partners and the public to promote a clean and healthy environment all along the watershed."
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