The Heath Fair sign. STAFF PHOTO/BELLA LEVAVI

K.C. Mattson grills chicken for the Heath Fire Department’s chicken barbecue fundraiser at the Heath Fair on Saturday. Taking after his father, K.C. has been a volunteer firefighter for four years. STAFF PHOTO/BELLA LEVAVI

Two-year-old Emily Herox of Hawley visits with a horse at the Heath Fair on Saturday. STAFF PHOTO/BELLA LEVAVI

Jennifer Kapitulik, a vendor from Colrain, spins yarn at her booth at the Heath Fair on Saturday. STAFF PHOTO/BELLA LEVAVI

Three generations of the Blacksin family of Greenfield pose for a photo at the Heath Fair on Saturday, including 6-week-old Vita. Zoe Blacksin, at left, was the first on the scene as a doctor to assist the two women and child involved in the horse pulling accident. STAFF PHOTO/BELLA LEVAVI

The Heath Fair featured a kids’ lawnmower pulling event on Saturday. STAFF PHOTO/BELLA LEVAVI

Luna Rose Malloy, an Adams resident, shows off a third-place ribbon for the 3,100-class horse pulling event. “I’m a fair kid,” she said. STAFF PHOTO/BELLA LEVAVI

HEATH — The weekend’s 104th Heath Fair had all the traditional activities one would expect: pulling events of all kinds, square dancing and fried dough. But although the three-day fair attracted many visitors to the grounds, it did not go off without a hitch.

At the end of the 3,100-class horse pulling event on Saturday, a horse lost control, ultimately breaking a fence and barreling into two women and a child, according to Luke Inman, a Heath resident who ran the horse pulling event.

Zoe Blacksin, a doctor in New York City who was visiting the fair because she grew up in Greenfield, came to the scene to help. She explained the two women sustained minor injuries and the child was largely unscathed.

“I don’t normally respond to emergencies, but I jumped into action when I saw it happen,” Blacksin said.

The two women were taken to the hospital in two separate Colrain ambulances.

The horse lost control at the very end of the pulling event, so organizers did not need to call off the pull for that day. Workers fixed the fence and proceeded with the subsequent horse pulls of the day, according to Inman.

“They are animals,” he said, “so they can be unpredictable.”

Aside from this incident at the horse pulling event, the Heath Fair, organized by the Heath Agricultural Society, delivered once again as a family-fun affair.

“I like coming to the fair,” commented Hawley resident Kiley Turner. “It’s still a small-town fair with no rides. It’s great for kids.”

One popular children’s activity was the pony rides. The ponies came from Rocky Acres in Chesterfield, which has been in busy for 25 years.

Meanwhile, Marie Galanek sold kettle corn while wearing popcorn earrings. She said she has been selling her products at the Heath Fair for about seven years, as well as at other events and wholesale at the River Valley Co-op.

Jennifer Kapitulik, a vendor from Colrain, sat spinning yarn at her booth. She sheers, dyes, spins, weaves and knits her products. She owns a llama that she gets some of her material from, and uses other animals in the area for other types of yarn. She explained she particularly loves earthy colors for yarns, with dark blue being her favorite.

Pascale Jarvis, a vendor from Easthampton selling hand-printed clothes, was new to the fair this year. They explained they make linoleum stamps inspired by things they see in their garden and on hikes at Mount Tom. They then roll ink onto the linoleum stamps and press the stamps onto repurposed clothes.

For the past 25 years, a big draw to the Heath Fair has been the chicken barbecue offered by the Heath Fire Department. The cookout usually happens over two days, but this year it only took place on Saturday. It raises money for firefighters’ uniforms and equipment, with Fire Chief Nick Anzuoni saying he hoped to raise $1,500 this year.

While many people pointed to the horse pulling event as being the highlight of the fair, attendees also expressed that the Heath Fair offers something special for everyone.

“The people here make this fair special,” Kapitulik said.

Bella Levavi can be contacted at blevavi@recorder.com or 413-930-4579.

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