Story by Jack Robinson / Photos by Mark Molesworth

WESTPORT – A little bit of unsettled weather over the weekend didn’t stop fair-goers from enjoying one of Westport’s most beloved annual fundraising events for almost 120 years. The Yankee Doodle Fair, which has been sponsored by the Westport Woman’s Club since 1907, opened on Thursday evening and ran through the weekend with carnival rides and games, food, and live music. The fair wrapped up last night at 5 p.m.

“We come to the fair every year, every Father’s Day, my kids always want to come, and we always have a great time,” Westporter Danielle Kyle said. “We usually do the wristband, but this year we’re just doing a couple of rides because they said some thunderstorms might come.”

The fair is a popular site for any Westporter, not just families with young children. Many teens frequent the fair as it comes as a much needed break at the tail end of a stressful school year.

“I love the fair, it’s my favorite town tradition,” Staples student Sailor Scully said. “I just love that you get to see really everyone, all kids go to it, high schoolers, middle schoolers, it’s [just] really fun.”

The fair has been going on for more than a century in Westport, and it keeps many Westporters coming back, reminding them of experiences they’ve had at the fair from when they were young children all the way to adulthood.

The parking lot at 44 Imperial Avenue becomes a familiar site every year, chock-full of colorful, LED-laden rides, games like Whack-a-Mole and Balloon Pop and a massive Ferris Wheel that could be seen from a mile away.

“I’ve been coming here since I was [really young,] and it doesn’t change a thing,” Westport residents and parents Angela Ryan and James Delorey said.

“The energy and excitement that the kids have for the rides is the same every year, and it’s something I look forward to seeing every year.”