Guilford Little Folks Fair to Celebrate 60th Anniversary on June 6
For the past 60 years, the Community Nursery School (CNS) has hosted the Little Folks Fair (LFF) on the Guilford Green not only as a fun community event, but also as the school’s major fundraiser for the year. This year’s event is Saturday, June 6 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The fundraiser not only benefits CNS’s enrichment programs, but helps provide scholarship funds, as well.
“Guilford has been super supportive of the school and the fair for 60 years, and there’s a lot of heritage and a vintage feel, especially with the Americana motif on our marketing,” said Meg Teape, a co-chair of the LFF. “Even if you don’t have kids, you could attend for the food, the auction, or to support the local community as the businesses are donating.”
In addition to entertainment and games for the 10-and-younger crowd, there will be a silent auction featuring donated items from local businesses, as well as food from the Naples Pizza Truck and The Marketplace at Guilford Food Center, which will sell hamburgers and hot dogs.
The LFF will also offer a petting zoo, donkey rides, arts and crafts, face-painting, rides, a train, a circus arena, games, moonbounces, and a tag sale featuring toys, baby equipment, books, and more. Admission is $3 for adults, $2 for children, and those younter than two are free. Tickets for the entertainment can be purchased from the “pocket ladies.”
“Our teachers are the ‘pocket ladies,’ and everyone loves seeing them and what prizes they have in their pockets,” said Teape. “In Guilford, it’s hard to find people who aren’t connected to Community Nursery School, whether you went there, your kids went there, or they go there now. Guilford is so family-oriented, Community Nursery School is one of the mainstays of the community, and the fair is something people have come to expect.”
While Teape currently has a child at CNS, she began attending the LFF before she even lived in Guilford. Two years ago, her parents, who have lived in Guilford for 16 years, made it a point that Teape bring her then-toddler to the event.
“They had brought my niece and nephew and talked about how great it was,” says Teape. “We brought my daughter, and it was fun.”
Teape has since moved to Guilford with her family, including her daughter, who is now three, and her two-year-old son. With her daughter in CNS’s three-year-old program, she has enjoyed being a part of the co-op, as well as a co-chair of the LFF.
“You get to know the parents and how wonderful everyone is,” said Teape. “Getting the support system of the other parents has been great and getting involved has only fostered that more. The Little Folks Fair is the pinnacle of that. It’s such a fun event and so great seeing the kids happy.”
For more information, email mteapem@me.com.