Victorian Fair a Hit in Melrose

The 33rd annual Victorian Fair drew roughly 10,000 visitors to Main Street in Melrose on Sunday, according to Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Joan Ford Mongeau.

Despite dark clouds looming overhead early on, the skies eventually opened and the weather turned out to be just right for the city's largest yearly event.

Mayor Rob Dolan discussed some of the factors that played a role in the fair's success.

"The weather has never been better. That's very key," Dolan said. "It's a varied participation from small businesses and organizations, churches and political campaigns...and a lot of good people came out. I think it's one of the best fairs ever."

Hundreds of Melrose area businesses, nonprofit organizations and campaigning politicians set up tents along Main Street to greet attendees strolling through the city. There were also a variety of demonstrations from local performers, as well as carnival rides and activities set up just off Main Street to keep youngsters busy.

Dolan recalled some of his favorite moments from the day's events from the mayor's tent.

"I always laugh when I see the long line of people waiting to get their flu shot with a fried dough in their hand," said the mayor. "It's always a unique picture to me. Also, a number of churches for the first time have come out in force. I think why that is important is because in Melrose the government really can't do everything, but our places of worship— our synagogues and churches—really fill in a lot of gaps regardless of your denomination and this year they focused not just on getting membership but showing what they do."

From the Melrose Dog Society table, Melrosian Richard Federico said his table garnered quite a bit of interest during the fair.  

"It's going excellent," said Federico, who has attended several Victorian Fairs. "Just seeing the people and the support that we have and so many people are embracing the Melrose Dog Society. It's awesome."

According to Federico, the Dog Society was able to raise somewhere around $300 to $500 at the fair.

Meanwhile, Dolan said EMARC's annual 5K was a hit, as he was one of several hundred runners to participate.

"I actually got my best time ever, which is really good for me which is just over 30 minutes," he said. "It's the largest race we've ever had for EMARC, which serves people with mental disabilities, and next year is their 20th anniversary so we're planning to do something real big next year."

Did you attend the Victorian Fair in Melrose on Sunday? Let us know what your favorite part of the event was by posting a comment below.