All fun and games

Passaic County Fair starts July 19 Garret Mountain —The Passaic County Fair comes to Garret Mountain Reservation next week, with a promise of music, games, rides and exotic foods. The fair will offer amusement rides, games of skill, eating contests, and children’s races. A petting zoo and pony rides will be an attraction for the kids. Commerce Bank has contributed $5,000 to underwrite the cost of carnival rides for 250 underprivileged children, said Phil Conroy, a co-chair of the event. Other features include twice-daily aerial acts and performances by headliners Uncle Floyd, The Dalton Gang, The Planets and Conjunto Imagen, among a multitude of other entertainers. Singing competitions for kids under 17 and adults will start at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively. Best Foot Forward, a dance troupe of over-30-year-olds, will perform on Saturday evening. The fair ends on Sunday evening with performances by local bands. An assortment of vendors selling crafts and other wares will set up at the fair. Non-profit organizations will distribute information about their groups. The Passaic County Librarians will have a booth to promote the joy of reading and communications. High school students will run a dunk tank to earn money for their school projects. County officials will give demonstrations, exhibitions, and presentations. The sheriff’s tent is home base for exhibits to include the K-9 corps of trained dogs and robot bomb removal devices. Military personnel and exhibits from the National Guard are a new attraction this year. Army vehicles will be on display. The fair is co-sponsored by Passaic County Vision 2020 Inc. and the Board of Chosen Freeholders to celebrate the county’s history and attractions. The County Museum at Lambert Castle will reduce its entrance fees by half: $2.50 for adults, $2 for senior citizens, and $1.50 for children ages 5 to 17. Lambert Castle was originally the home of Paterson silk manufacturer Catholina Lambert, who built the castle in 1893 to resemble the Medieval castles in England that he recalled from his boyhood growing up there. Today, Lambert Castle Museum is a modern history center offering Victorian-period rooms on the first floor and exhibition galleries on the second and third floors, and a modern library in the basement, where visitors may research county history and genealogy. Scout leaders Linda Hodgson, Brian Madrid of Troop 37 and Norman Makoujy and their scouts will direct parking at the fair, which is available for $3 per vehicle. A shuttle service of buses and trolleys will take visitors from the parking areas to the fairgrounds. There is no admission charge for the fair. The fair starts at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, July 19, and continues through Sunday, July 23. Hours are from 5 to 11 p.m., Wednesday through Friday; noon to 11 p.m. on Saturday; and noon to 8 p.m. on Sunday. The Passaic County Community College Cultural Council has contributed to the financing of the fair under the auspices of the New Jersey State Arts Council. For directions and more information, visit www.passaiccountyfair.com.