Windsor Fair: August 24th through September 2nd *volunteers needed*

[Stephen Piwowarski]

Hello All,

This year the WW&F has been invited by the Windsor Historical to have a presence at their site during the Windsor Fair. This is a major opportunity for us to get out and connect with people in our locale who actually live within a convenient drive of the railway. Many of them probably have not heard of us before. For starters, the fair has an estimated attendance of 150,000 throughout the week. And there will be opportunities, I am sure, to connect with people who were connected to the WW&F's pre-1933 operations, which always means interesting stories, etc.

We are planning on bringing the handcar (as a static display) along with other materials to the fair this year. It would be incredible to have a representative of the Railway on site during these times.

I am committed to getting the displays set up ahead of the fair and spending a day at the fair, but since it is the week before school, and I am a teacher, this is a difficult time for me to dedicate an entire week (its the week we need to go in for lots of meetings and prep for students). Because of this, I am reaching out to all of you to help staff the exhibit during the fair. I think we might even get exhibitor passes (I will check on this) which means entrance would be free.

Also, if you are are train crew member please consider that when considering helping out with this in the interest of making sure we have fully crewed trains. We can will endeavor to find non-operating crew volunteers to cover the slots on operating days.

If you are interested in helping out with this, please respond here or email me at stephen.piwowarski@wwfry.org

Thank you!
Steve Piwowarski

[Bruce Wilson]

Stephen,

I would be able to cover mornings (with the exception if Sept. 3rd) each day, four hours each shift.

Bruce

[Stephen Piwowarski]

Hello All,

This week I received some more information regarding the upcoming Windsor Fair. First of all, I (and anyone else willing to lend a hand) will be setting up the exhibit at the fairgrounds on Friday August 23, in advance of the fair opening on Saturday.

According to Laurie Thomas from the Windsor Historical Society volunteers do not need to pay admission on the days they are working and we also provide breakfast and lunch during certain hours, along with coffee and bottles water.

So far Bruce and I will be helping; if there are others who are interested, even if it is only for one day, that would be a huge help in spreading out the burden of responsibility for our displays there. Plus- it's a great fair! If you've never been, I feel it is one of the best around.

Email me at stephen.piwowarski@wwfry.org if you would like to help, or respond here!

Thanks and take care,
Steve

[Stephen Piwowarski]

Hi All,

We need a volunteer who is willing to help out Sunday afternoon at the fair. We've had good luck on getting folks for every other slot, but that one is a bit tough, so if you are able to help out, let me know and I will send you the information.

Meanwhile, our presence at the fair has been a tremendous success. By the end of the Fair we probably will have had well over 1,000 people stop by our display to learn about the WW&F, its history, and our current offerings. Several of us are already planning ahead for next year and how we can plan an even more interactive, exciting display.

Best,
Steve Piwowarski

[Stephen Piwowarski]

Well, we wrapped it up for this year’s Windsor Fair today. Throughout the fair, we probably reached over 1,000 individuals and shared information about what we are doing and how people can get involved. A huge thanks to everyone who made our presence at the fair a success this year including Dave Buczkowski, Bob Holmes, Ed Lecuyer, Dan Malkowski, Stewart Rhine, Nick Simoneau, and Bruce Wilson who all gave time to ensure that our exhibit was attended throughout the fair. As with most things we do, there are already ideas afloat for how we can enhance the exhibit for next years fair and some even bigger, exciting possibilities for what we might do in the future that I’m sure will surface at the appropriate time.

Again, huge thanks to all who gave your time and energy

Steve P.

[Bruce Wilson]

As Stephen has said, the Windsor Fair was an incredible success for the W.W. & F. Ry. Museum. I lost count of how many fair-goers stopped by the table to recall how the narrow gage tracks ran through their property or abutted it. Our table was next to the sawmill exhibit which had the mill from the former C.N. Chalmers business in Albion. The sawmill had been made in Fitchburg, Massachusetts by Ricker Mfg. and shipped to Albion by rail. Within the fair's "historic district" is a windmill once used to power a water distribution system in Windsor. One of the fair managers told me that when he set up the windmill, it still had shipping stencils bearing W.W. & F. routing. It was fun to hear so many stories of folks who had visited the museum in Alna and taken a ride on the train. One woman I spoke with, mentioned she is a grade school teacher in Berwick and always looking for field trip destinations for her students. We talked for a time before we realized we had grown up in the same town and lived on the same street in houses diagonally opposite each other. I also greatly enjoyed meeting Dan, Bryce, Ed and Nick and seeing old friends Zack, Stewart & Cindy, the Belyeas and the Zuppas. Had a chance to fab with Phil and Bob from Albion as well. Sign me up to be at the fair next year!