The Cambridge Fall Fair is set to return at full capacity on Sept. 8-11, but this year holds a special place for longtime attendees of the event.
The Cambridge fair has been running for over 180 years and has been a staple in celebrating the city's identity. This year it will be dedicated to longtime fair committee member Dave Hibbs, who passed away a few weeks after last year's fair.
"The firsts without him are the hardest; first birthday, first Christmas and now first fair," said Chris Chapelle, committee chair and brother-in-law to Hibbs. “We’ve got someone upstairs looking out for us this year."
Chapelle wanted to be sure they honoured his late brother-in-law and show appreciation for all the work he had done for the past 30 years.
Hibbs used to play a big role in booking all of the musical acts for the fair. He built a great relationship with the talent and knew every band around, said Chapelle.
“We’re using a lot of bands we have in the past that knew Dave, he played in a few of these bands as well,” he said. “This year is all about honouring him.”
Hibbs' former groups Pauly & The Goodfellas and Sons of Song will all dedicate their Sunday sets to their late bandmate.
After bringing the idea to pay tribute to Hibbs at this year's fair, the committee quickly ratified the celebration and will look to honour him at future events as well.
“He was just such a big presence, larger than life. How could we not show out for him?” asked Chapelle.
The fair has decided to stay with last year’s ticket selling model; $10 for adults and $5 for children 10 and under.
Chapelle wants as many people as possible to come out and celebrate, so he wants to remove as much financial burden as he can.
“Money is tight right now for a lot of people,” said Chapelle. “We are going to try and make it easy for locals to come out and bring the whole family for a weekend of fun.”
The four day event starts on Thursday Sept. 8 until Sunday Sept. 11. Like every year, there is no admission for the Thursday and Sunday events.
Friday will see amusement park rides as well as a demolition derby and monster truck rides that will extend until Sunday.
Saturday's main event will feature live music from Seven Sundays, Brave & Crazy, Flash Johnson and ABBA Legacy, as well as a circus lumberjack on the kids' stage.
Sunday will be all about paying tribute to Hibbs as his former bands will play live in honour of their former bandmate. A baby pageant will highlight the day's indoor events.
Chapelle can’t wait to run full tilt after being limited to only 1,000 guests at last year's event. Lines were four hours long to get in, because there were so many people eager to return to the fair, he said.
“We’re hoping for an amazing turnout this year and I really hope everyone who knows Dave and how much he put into this shows up and shows their support.”
