Fair & Festival Glossary
Plain-English definitions of fair and festival terms, from 4-H and showmanship to the midway and the grandstand.
- 4-HA youth development program whose members exhibit livestock and projects at county fairs.
- MidwayThe rides, games and concession strip at a fair.
- GrandstandThe tiered seating facing a fairground arena or track, and the shows staged in front of it.
- Premium bookThe published rulebook listing every competition class at a fair and the prize money attached to it.
- PullingA fairground contest where a tractor, truck or draft animal team drags a weighted sled as far as it can.
- Exhibition hallThe indoor building where judged non-livestock entries are displayed: baking, produce, needlework, photography, floral.
- ShowmanshipA judged class that scores how well the handler presents an animal; conformation classes score the animal itself.
- Agricultural fairA fair whose organizing purpose is judged competition in farming, livestock and home arts.
- Baby paradeA New Jersey shore tradition in which decorated carriages, floats and costumed children parade along the boardwalk or a main street.
- Jersey FreshThe New Jersey Department of Agriculture's branding for produce grown in the state, seen on farm-stand and grocery signage.
- Jersey tomatoA tomato grown in New Jersey, ripe from mid to late summer.
- Italian-American feastA multi-day neighborhood festival tied to a Catholic patron saint's feast day, combining a procession with food stands and rides.
- ZeppoleFried dough dusted with powdered sugar, a sweet sold at Italian-American feasts.
- Pine BarrensThe sandy, pine-forested region of southern New Jersey, home to blueberry and cranberry farming.
- ShadA migratory river fish whose spring run up the Delaware is the basis of the Lambertville Shad Festival.
- SkylandsThe northwestern New Jersey region made up of Morris, Sussex and Warren counties.