Monster Trucks to run wild at Fair

TOPSFIELD – A new, ticketed attraction at the Topsfield Fair this year will be Monster Trucks, with shows at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Oct. 5 in the Arena, (tickets $15 plus fair admission).Four monster trucks: Krazy Train, Hot Tamale, AfterShock and Equalizer, will each “freestyle” at the shows, running over and performing tricks over dirt piles, cars and minivans. Pit party passes are also available, allowing holders access into the arena to take pictures with the cars and drivers. The first Pit Party is at 4 p.m. before the 5 p.m. show and the second at 9 p.m., after the 8 p.m. show. There are a limited number of Pit Party tickets available.Free showsFree concerts this year, with paid fair admission, feature The Fools, Oct. 7 at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., and local American Idol finalist Angie Miller, 7 p.m. Oct. 8; love song crooner Bobby Vinton, 7 p.m. Oct. 9; pop singer Britt Nicole, 7 p.m. Oct. 10; and X-Factor winner Tate Stevens, 7 p.m. Oct. 11Other featured free performances include the popular and returning Dock Dogs (Oct. 4-6); and the Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Show (Oct. 6-8).Paid concertsPaid concerts in the Fairgrounds Arena, on Oct. 12, feature the Disney Channel?s Coco Jones at 11 a.m. and Cher Lloyd at 6 p.m. O?Brien said ticket sales for the paid concerts have been steady but that tickets are still available.Staple attractionsTopsfield Fair General Manager James O?Brien said fireworks return to the fairgrounds this year, with a display on opening night (Oct. 4, 9 p.m.). He joked that he hopes Mother Nature cooperates and the skies are clear, unlike the last fireworks show at the Fair.?A couple of years ago we had the best fireworks I?ve ever heard, hopefully this year we?ll be able to see ?em too,” he said.Also on opening day will be Giant Pumpkin Contest, perhaps the most notable event of the Fair given it has produced so many world-record gourds. Last year a record-breaker weighed in at 2,009 pounds, on Oct. 4 other growers will shoot to top it.And the reigning Mrs. Essex County, Laura Sapienza-Grabski of Boxford, will greet fairgoers throughout, and on Thursday night she urged all to consider becoming lifetime members of the Essex Agricultural Society, parent of the Topsfield Fair, for $275, which includes a lifetime pass to the fair.TicketsTicket prices for the 2013 Topsfield Fair are $11 each Oct. 4, 7-10, and $15 each on Oct. 11, weekends and Columbus Day, Oct. 14. Discount tickets are available at www.topsfieldfair.org and at a number of locations including The Daily Item office at 38 Exchange St., Lynn, through Oct. 3. General admission tickets can be purchased for only $9 and are good any day during the Fair?s 11-day run. A three-day pass, good any three days, is available for $25. Children under 8 with an adult are free. Discounted food vouchers and ride tickets are also available when purchased in advance at www.topsfieldfair.org.