SEPTEMBER, 2008

THE
STURBRIDGETIMES
THE CHRONICLE OF STURBRIDGE COUNTRY LIVING
MAGAZINE

SCHOOL BELLS RING

ONCE AGAIN ACROSS
STURBRIDGE COUNTRY
KIT RANDALL’S FINAL YEAR AT TANTASQUA
BY STEPHANIE RICHARDS

THE SERIOUS SITUATION OF

ASIAN LONGHORNED BEETLES
BY THOMAS CHAMBERLAND

Prsrt. Std
U.S. Postage
PAID
Worcester, MA
Permit No. 2
 THEBIGE
Last year’s butter
“milk truck” at the
THE EASTERN STATES
Big E.
EXPOSITION
N E W E N G L A N D F O R E V E R
BY RICHARD MURPHY
O
ur family has been taking in
the Eastern States Exposition
for a long time now. I’m not
exactly sure when we started, but I’m
sure it’s coming up on two decades. My
20-year-old son, just learning to talk
back then, would ask when we would
be going to the “Pig E.”
This enormous spread in West
Springfield is a family venue, though
there are clusters of teens going on the
rides. Also, young swains spend con-
siderable sums so they can carry
around large stuffed animals won to
impress companions. To each his
own.
This is not to say adults can’t go on
the rides. Bumper cars are a great way
to have at the kids legally while leav-
ing no marks. Of course, they get to
do the same.
There are attractions galore, but
some people go for the art. Every year,
sculpture has pride of place in front of
the Mallary Arena. As a medium, they
use nothing as mundane as marble.
No, fairgoers are greeted by a creation
carved out of butter. Last year, it was
a milk truck driven by cows. Okay,
you won’t see it at the Louvre, but it
was cute. Proceed a short distance for
14 THE STURBRIDGE TIMES MAGAZINE
the lovely milkshakes sold by 4H.
This is a dairy building.
The butter sculpture sets the stage
for what is a big part of the day: food.
The Big E represents all of the six New
England States and every state has a
building dedicated to promoting its
products and services.
Now, there is no Michelin Guide list-
ing for West Springfield, but so what?
This may not be France, but try to get
Quahog Chili in Paris. Well, in
September you can get it at the Rhode
Island Building. Throw some native
Rhode Island hot sauce in that bowl and
let the French reconsider their recipes.
Maine is not to be outdone. You will
always find a crowd queued up for the
Maine Baked Potato. A huge spud
with whatever toppings you want.
After two of those, and I could be
poster boy for Save the Whales.
Vermont has more than just apples.
As Ben & Jerry’s is a famous Green
Mountain State company, it is only
natural that they would be purveying
calories in the Vermont Building.
That is hardly all. Delicious flat bread
style pizza is made right there in a clay
oven. Right next to that is organic
beer. Try the oat stout.
THE CHRONICLE OF STURBRIDGE COUNTRY LIVING
 Of course there are vendors all
through the venue offering everything
from junk food to full meals. Though
my wife and I try to encourage healthy
eating, we are not immune to the lure of
bad food. We top off our day of indul-
gence with an order of beignets. These
are little creole donuts without holes.
They are not as elegant as those found
in New Orleans, but for western
Massachusetts, they’ll do.
At the New England Kitchen
Theater, chefs instruct on the finer
points of cuisine. Superstars such as
Todd English and Ming Tsai have
appeared to help celebrate our regions
specialties.
Food is not the only attraction. This
is the Spencer or Woodstock Fair raised
to a considerable power. There are craft
and specialty vendors all through the
grounds. Okay, local malls have some
spiffy vendors, but if you need to buy a
lead for a cow, The Big E has it all over
them.
Some of the stuff is just cute. Still, I
can’t say I’ve ever had a hankering for a
soapstone bear, though surely there are
worse lawn ornaments.
There is little you can’t find at the
Big E, but agriculture is the soul of it. It
was founded by the vision of Joshua
Brooks at the beginning of the 20th
century. Watching the slow decline of
New England Farming, his idea was an
exposition of new farming methods as
well as competitive awards to inspire
farmers to effiency and progress. In
1917 138,000 came to the first Big E.
A million come annually now.
His desire to reverse the loss of farms
has not succeeded and how much it may
have slowed the process can’t be deter-
mined. As a showcase, his project has
been a success. That is to anyone who
has an interest in rural New England.
Animals, raised and cared for by loving
owners are on display. Young people
compete to show their sheep or cattle in
the ring. For most of us, it is a glimpse
of another world.
We have only scratched the surface.
Entertainment is constantly on tap.
The music runs mostly to country with
some rock and R&B. There are the
horse shows in the coliseum, and
parades along the main avenue.
Storrowtown Village is like a mini
Sturbridge Village. From September 12
to 28, the town of West Springfield is
the place to be.
DIRECTIONS
From Sturbridge, via the pike, take Exit
4 to Route 5 South to Route 147 West.
Continue approximately 3/4 mile to Gate 9
parking lot. For information on the web go
to http://www.thebige.com.
THE CHRONICLE OF STURBRIDGE COUNTRY LIVING
KIT RANDALL’S FINALE STAGED
AFTER 30 YEARS AT TANTASQUA
Kit
Randall’s passion has
always been acting and
music. He was a per-
former, who vowed that he would
never teach, even though his father
was a college professor and so were
other family members. Yet in 1978,
Randall found himself doing just
that as a substitute teacher at
Tantasqua High School. Now 30
years later, Randall will be exiting
the stage he has loved—teaching
English, music and theater to high
school students.
Randall reflects on how his
career began. “I never wanted to be
a teacher although my father, broth-
er and aunt were all teachers. So,
my father made a deal with me that
I could take drama and music in col-
lege, but had to take education
courses too.”
Playing the french horn in col-
lege, Randall studied music and the-
ater and receive his degree from
American International College in
Springfield. Subsequently, he
became a professional performer
which took its toll on his family.
“With two kids (he has five) I
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MR. KIT RANDALL
couldn’t be traveling all the time,
so we settled in Sturbridge. We
needed a home and submitted plans
to Tantasqua, which built one
house a year,” he said. “Ironically,
we won and the assistant principal
would see me coming and checking
on the building progress during the
day. He found out more about my
background and asked me about
substituting. I was apprehensive at
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first because I didn’t want to ever
teach, but I tried it and loved it. I
love the energy from the kids.”
Subsequently, he was asked to fill
in for a semester at the junior high
teaching band. “That was seventh
heaven,” said Randall, who also
plays guitar, piano and sings. Then,
he stepped in for the drama teacher
at the high school and directed the
spring play, which was The Wizard of
Oz.
That summer, he came to a fork in
the road with his career track. He
was offered a full scholarship to get a
master’s of fine arts degree in theater
at the University of Connecticut.
Shortly after, a phone call from
someone in New York theater he
knew with an offer to be in the cast
of Saturday Night Live. At the same
time, he was offered a position
teaching English at Tantasqua.
Three job offers and only one to
choose within a matter of a few days.
Randall recalls, “For the first time
in my life, I did the responsible thing
and took the job teaching. I went to
work whistling. But physically, the
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THE STURBRIDGE TIMES MAGAZINE 15