In New England, autumn is a gift Mother Nature bestows upon us before winter’s chill. Late September through early October typically brings beautiful weather…cool but not too cold, warm enough to enjoy the outdoors without much more than long-sleeves and jeans. Pumpkins decorate porches, colorful mums burst with rich color, and the leaves start to change. There’s local fall festivals, hayrides, corn mazes, and apple picking. It’s also time to catch the last of the county fairs. From Maine to New York (and beyond), there’s much excitement about “The Big E Fair” at the Eastern States Exposition… the “grand-daddy” of fairs, a true New England tradition! Over one million folks head to this fall extravaganza each season. This year, we got to see what the buzz is all about!
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Debbie Bosworth
is a certified farmgirl at heart. She’s happily married to her beach bum Yankee husband of 20 years. She went from career gal to being a creative homeschooling mom for two of her biggest blessings and hasn’t looked back since. Debbie left her lifelong home in the high desert of Northern Nevada 10 years ago and washed up on the shore of America’s hometown, Plymouth, MA, where she and her family are now firmly planted. They spend part of each summer in a tiny, off–grid beach cottage named “The Sea Horse.”
“I found a piece of my farmgirl heart when I discovered MaryJanesFarm. Suddenly, everything I loved just made more sense! I enjoy unwinding at the beach, writing, gardening, and turning yard-sale furniture into ‘Painted Ladies’ I’m passionate about living a creative life and encouraging others to ‘make each day their masterpiece.’”
Rebekah Teal
is a “MaryJane Farmgirl” who lives in a large metropolitan area. She is a lawyer who has worked in both criminal defense and prosecution. She has been a judge, a business woman and a stay-at-home mom. In addition to her law degree, she has a Masters of Theological Studies.
“Mustering up the courage to do the things you dream about,” she says, “is the essence of being a MaryJane Farmgirl.” Learning to live more organically and closer to nature is Rebekah’s current pursuit. She finds strength and encouragement through MaryJane’s writings, life, and products. And MaryJane’s Farmgirl Connection provides her a wealth of knowledge from true-blue farmgirls.
Cathi Belcher
an old-fashioned farmgirl with a pioneer spirit, lives in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. As a “lifelong learner” in the “Live-Free-or-Die” state, she fiercely values self-reliance, independence, freedom, and fresh mountain air. Married to her childhood sweetheart of 40+ years (a few of them “uphill climbs”), she’s had plenty of time to reinvent herself. From museum curator, restaurant owner, homeschool mom/conference speaker, to post-and-beam house builder and entrepreneur, she’s also a multi-media artist, with an obsession for off-grid living and alternative housing. Cathi owns and operates a 32-room mountain lodge. Her specialty has evolved to include “hermit hospitality” at her rustic cabin in the mountains, where she offers weekend workshops of special interest to women.
“Mountains speak to my soul, and farming is an important part of my heritage. I want to pass on my love of these things to others through my writing. Living in the mountains has its own particular challenges, but I delight in turning them into opportunities from which we can all learn and grow.”
Dori Troutman
Dori Troutman is the daughter of second generation cattle ranchers in New Mexico. She grew up working and playing on the ranch that her grandparents homesteaded in 1928. That ranch, with the old adobe home, is still in the family today. Dori and her husband always yearned for a ranch of their own. That dream came true when they retired to the beautiful green rolling hills of Tennessee. Truly a cattleman’s paradise!
Dori loves all things farmgirl and actually has known no other life but that. She loves to cook, craft, garden, and help with any and all things on their cattle farm.
Mary Murray
describes herself as a goat charmer, chicken whisperer, bee maven, and farmers’ market baker renovating an 1864 farmhouse on an Ohio farm. With a degree in Design, Mary says small-town auctions and country road barn sales "always make my heart skip a beat thinking about what I could create or design out of what I’ve seen.”
Rooted in the countryside, she likes simple things and old ways … gardening, preserving the harvest, cooking, baking, and all things home. While you might find her selling baked goods from the farm’s milkhouse, teaching herself to play the fiddle, or sprucing up a vintage camper named Maizy, you will always find her in an apron!
Mary says, “I’m happiest with the simple country pleasures … an old farmhouse, too many animals, a crackling fire, books to read, and the sound of laughter … these make life just perfect.”
Alexandra Wilson
is a budding rural farmgirl living in Palmer, the agricultural seat of Alaska. Alex is a graduate student at Alaska Pacific University pursuing an M.S. in Outdoor and Environmental Education. She lives and works on the university’s 700 acre environmental education center, Spring Creek Farm. When Alex has time outside of school, she loves to rock climb, repurpose found objects, cross-country ski on the hay fields, travel, practice yoga, and cook with new-fangled ingredients.
Alex grew up near the Twin Cities and went to college in Madison, Wisconsin—both places where perfectly painted barns and rolling green farmland are just a short drive away. After college, she taught at a rural middle school in South Korea where she biked past verdant rice paddies and old women selling home-grown produce from sidewalk stoops. She was introduced to MaryJanesFarm after returning, and found in it what she’d been searching for—a group of incredible women living their lives in ways that benefit their families, their communities, and the greater environment. What an amazing group of farmgirls to be a part of!
Nicole Christensen
Suburban Farmgirl Nicole Christensen calls herself a “vintage enthusiast”. Born and raised in Texas, she has lived most of her life in the picturesque New England suburbs of Connecticut, just a stone’s throw from New York State. An Advanced Master Gardener, she has gardened since childhood, in several states and across numerous planting zones. In addition, she teaches knitting classes, loves to preserve, and raises backyard chickens.
Married over thirty years to her Danish-born sweetheart, Nicole has worked in various fields, been a world-traveler, an entrepreneur and a homemaker, but considers being mom to her now-adult daughter her greatest accomplishment. Loving all things creative, Nicole considers her life’s motto to be “Bloom where you are planted”.
Living in Georgia, I’ve never been to the Big E Fair. Heck, we hardly have fairs in Georgia any longer, but next year three of my friends and I are planning to head up the East Coast and we may just put the Big E Fair on our list of things to see. Thank you for the pictures and the descriptions.
Susan
Hi Susan! I think you would certainly enjoy this fair! If you go, plan on spending a full day there, and wear comfy shoes! The day we went was overcast, but there is so much indoors too, that even if the day I planned to go rained, I’d still attend. Have fun on your trip to the East Coast. Sounds like a fun time with your friends. Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Nicole, this looks like so much fun. I would love to have seen the quilts and crafts. What a fun day. Thanks for sharing! -Dori (the Ranch Farmgirl) –
Hi Dori! It was a very fun day, and the quilts and crafts were so breathtaking! It’s on my “bucket list” to enter something sometime in one of these fairs! There’s quite a few around us. It’s nice to see fairs like this because you see all ages and generations have a fun – and “unplugged – time! Farmgirl hugs, Nicole
Looks like BIG fun! At the moment Texas is in the middle of our State Fair of Texas! It’s the best place to have the greatest time of your life! Most of all……..Big Tex over sees all the excitement. I am sure you are familiar with Big Tex since you are an original Texan. He has a great new look since he was burned due to fire last year And he is even 8 feet taller!
Hi Mel! Oh yes, I remember the State Fair of Texas, and of course, Big Tex! It was awful to see he had caught fire. Glad to know he is bigger and better than ever! When my daughter was little, she had two books about the State Fair of Texas and Big Tex. My father got them for her, autographed, written and illustrated by a lady he knew from the “Dallas Market”, before he retired. The books were some of her favorite stories, and I’ve put them away for when she has little ones someday. I always promised her we’d see Big Tex in person, though we never got to while she was still little. Maybe someday we will go, and I also want to take her to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
I enjoyed seeing yall’s trip to the Big E. It reminded me of some of the fairs I went to years ago.
So glad you enjoyed the “visit”! Fairs like these really do have something for everyone. -Nicole
Loved the BIG E! It reminded me of the times my grandmother used to take me to the CNE (Canadian National Exhibition) in Toronto! Good times.
The weather this trip was perfect, too…not too hot, not too cold. It was a great day! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
I was born and raised in Massachusetts so every year it was a treat to be able to go to the Big E on the first or second day it opened kids would be let out of school just for this event, It has not changed much over the years and my favorite place is storritown village 1700 buildings the church and the school house. Back in the day they gave out all kinds of free stuff not made out of plastic. you would be able to fill a bag full of goodies. My family is still in Mass and I try to arrange to go up in September and work my time around the Big E LOVE LOVE LOVE The Big E Started going in 1962
I now live in Tennessee and love your blogs thank you. This post got me very excited as it has been a few years since if been up to the Big E . /
Donna, Thank you for such a nice comment! I am so glad you liked this post. I did not get to see the Storritown Village! Thank you…it’s now on my list for next year, for sure! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
These are great pictures, Nicole. When I lived in the Dallas area, before you were born, we took your brother, Russell, to some small fairs, but never went to the Big State Fair.
Your flannel shirt has such beautiful bright colors and loved to see the little pigs and the Mustang. Great story. Love, Mother
Thanks, Mom! Glad you enjoyed it. Love you! -Nicole
Sounds a wonderful place.
Hi Denise, It certainly was fun! I can’t wait to go again next year. Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole