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08/09/2023 07:35 AMA lifelong member of North Guilford Congregational Church (NGCC), Dylan Kormylo, who just turned 19, is happy to put her energy into supporting the success of the annual North Guilford Country Fair.
This year’s North Guilford Country Fair is set for Saturday, Aug. 19, at the historic church at 159 Ledge Hill Road, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. As with the very first fair in 1962, admission and parking are still free.
Now in its 61st year, the fair is famous for its fresh peach shortcake and many distinctive booths, such as those offering Country Crafts (jewelry), sewing and quilting items, home-baked goods, antique tools, tag sale gems, and more. There’s also fun with Little Toot, the long-serving kids’ ride featured at the fair each year.
Dylan is an incoming sophomore at UConn Avery Point but still manages to do many things for her North Guilford church, which may be why long-time fair committee volunteer Judy Haggarty calls her “...our teen dynamo.”
This year, Dylan is one of the coordinators of the newly expanded Kids Korner at the fair.
“The people in charge of the Kids Korner are in one of our church’s new committees, the Vitality Committee. Our mission is to bring families and more children into church,” says Dylan. “So we wanted to take on the Kids Korner and revamp it.”
The Kids Korner will still be anchored with Little Toot rides and favorites, including face-painting, but there will be more fun with elements including spin art, a cake walk, snow cones, a dance party, an amazing maze, animal exhibits, country games, an ice cream truck, and other treats. There will also be an opportunity for kids to learn more about their environment through gardening, says Dylan.
“We’re going to have a master gardener to teach children, and anybody who wants to learn, about gardening and the importance of it to our environment,” she says.
The North Guilford Country Fair is also a great introduction to NGCC, where Dylan helps out with teaching Sunday school, sings in the choir, and assists the SPARK senior youth mission group.
The SPARK group is open to grades 8 to 12, and members don’t need to belong to NGCC to join. As described at northguilforducc.org, SPARK is a “... faith-forming, multicultural, multiracial, open and affirming, accessible to all, just peace, globally minded movement of youth and young adults,” making a difference in the world through fellowship, service, and learning.
“I do a lot with SPARK youth group,” says Dylan. “I used to be a part of SPARK, but now that I graduated high school, I go back as a volunteer to help be a second adult to teach, chaperone, and come up with new volunteer activities.”
Dylan grew up in the church and is happy to give back to support NGCC’s small, caring community of church members.
“My family has been a part of the church since my mom was 13. I got baptized in the church, and I’ve been going to church almost every Sunday since I was born,” says Dylan. “We’ve always been a small congregation, which is what I really love about it. There’s always a lot of community stuff going on, and everybody knows everybody.”
While she’s busy with her studies as an English education major at Uconn Avery Point, Dylan says she makes a point of spending her Sundays with NGCC.
“I commute to school from Guilford to Avery Point, so I’m able to stay active with the church year ‘round. I still go every Sunday, and I sing in the choir,” she says.
Funds raised from the North Guilford Country Fair help with the upkeep of the church and its historic sanctuary, built in 1812. As a church volunteer helping to power up this year’s Kids Korner, Dylan is pretty excited to share the new and different offerings families and kids will encounter.
But she’s also pretty excited for something else that’s been a highlight of the fair for her—and many others—for many years.
“It’s the peach shortcake. The famous peach shortcake,” says Dylan.