What to Know About the Topsfield Fair on Thursday, Oct. 9; 'Mounties' Performs Twice

Thursday, Oct. 9 is the seventh day of the 2014 Topsfield Fair, the oldest fair in the country. Gates open at 10 a.m. and close at 11 p.m. at the fairgrounds on Route 1. The agricultural buildings close at 10 p.m.

The King Arthur Flour Quick Bread Contest will be held at 7 p.m. and the winner will be announced at 9 p.m. - all in Coolidge Hall.

An on-grounds parade is planned for Thursday night at 5 p.m., where horses, antique cars, floats and other make their way along the main roads of the fair.

Danielle Bradbery, a 17-year-old country singer and winner of season four of NBC’s The Voice, will perform a free show in the grandstand at 7 p.m. The concert will also be simulcast to the Trianon stage.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have also returned to the fair this year and their musical ride will be performed in the arena at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Thursday.

Afterward, the Gloucester High School Docksiders band will perform in the arena at 7 p.m.

Robinson’s Racing Pigs, which return to the Topsfield Fair this year, perform on Grange Road at noon, 2, 4 and 6 p.m.

Along Arena Road, the “Nerveless Knocks” aerial stunt performers will have shows at 11 a.m. and 3 and 5 p.m.

The Hallamore Clydesdales 8-Horse Hitch will be on display in the arena at 1:30 p.m.

Admission is $11 for adults on Thursday. Children under eight are free with a paying adult. Parking is $10 per car.