FARMINGTON — Buildings and Grounds Superintendent Tom White and Secretary Neal Yeaton were in their Farmington Fair routines Monday morning.
Neal Yeaton, secretary for the Farmington Fair, said moments of silence will be held before several events in honor of the town’s Fire Department. Franklin Journal photo by Nicole Carter
Just before 8:30 a.m., early competitive events were getting underway when a terrible explosion sounded across the fairgrounds, piercing the community event that’s been a Franklin County staple since 1840.
“I immediately thought propane explosion,” said White, who spent 28 years working in law enforcement. “It was very loud, horrible. I assumed at first that the accident had happened on the fairgrounds. But when I saw the plume beyond the grandstand, I knew where to go.”
White rushed to the scene, along with East Dixfield Fire Chief Randy Hall. They were among the first to arrive and engaged the hoses on one of the fire trucks to extinguish whatever flames might rise up. Police arrived and secured the scene.
“It’s difficult to wrap our heads around this, White said. “Everyone knows everyone, and we’re used to having the Fire Department’s presence here with us. Our thoughts are with the firefighters and their families.”
“I thought someone on High Street must have hit a pole and caused a transformer to blow,” Yeaton said. “But I looked up and saw the smoke. We knew it was bad.”
Yeaton said Tuesday afternoon that things at the fair were going well, considering.
“The mood yesterday was of concern. We only had questions,” Yeaton said. “Some of the events were already in the works and we ran those, but once they were complete we decided to shut things down out of respect.”
“We are thankful for everything Cushing Amusements has done,” White said of the carnival vendor, working its first Farmington Fair. “They jumped in to assist, delivering food and water to first responders working the accident.”
Yeaton called the response of fair workers and volunteers “excellent,” as they tried Tuesday to get back to normal.
Several observances for those killed and injured in the blast will be made at the fair.
“We will hold a moment of silence before horse racing, the tractor pulls and before the Drag Your Neighbor Race starts,” Yeaton said, “for respect, prayer and remembrance.”
Red Laliberte of Misty Acres Alpacas in Sidney has been a vendor at the Farmington Fair for the last seven years.Franklin Journal photo by Nicole Carter
“It’s devastating,” said Red Laliberte, a vendor who sells alpaca goods and apparel in the Starbird Building on the fairgrounds. He travels with his wares to fairs across New England and this is his seventh year at the Farmington Fair. He heard about the accident as he was driving to Farmington from his home in Sidney.
“Yesterday we stayed until noon and closing the fair was the right call,” Laliberte said. “But today, it’s still hard. No one has a lot to talk about.”
Proving that the connections to Farmington’s tragedy go far beyond town lines, Laliberte said that he expected his niece’s husband, a firefighter in Clinton, to be one of dozens across the state who will come to town to cover shifts at the Fire Department. And his daughter-in-law, who works for the state of Maine, was at the LEAP building last Friday conducting an audit.
“It’s really tough to think about,” Laliberte said.
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