Billy Gilman sang the national anthem to mark the opening of the 46th Annual Agricultural Fair

This story is from goggle Abigail Pheiffer/ The DayPeggy Sue Long, of Stonington, talks to her son, Billy, 6, at the North Stonington fair on Thursday. Long's family has a legacy of involvement with the fair.Buy Photo Abigail Pheiffer/ The DayPeggy Sue Long, of Stonington, talks to her son, Billy, 6, at the North Stonington fair on Thursday. Long's family has a legacy of involvement with the fair.Buy Photo
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COMMENTS ( 0 ) Late mother was one of the event's founders

North Stonington — Before Billy Gilman sang the national anthem to mark the opening of the 46th Annual Agricultural Fair, Peggy Sue Long and her sister Jody Whipple were in tears.



Thursday was a bittersweet moment for the pair as it marked the first year they were not joined by their mother during the opening ceremony.



Their mother, Shirley Collins, one of the founders of the North Stonington fair and longtime member of the Board of Directors, passed away last October. Their father and fair founder Ralph "Bub" Collins died 19 years ago but was heavily involved in fair operations.



"I know I'm carrying on my parents' passion. My parents were advocates for fairs all over New England," Long said. "It will take two of us to fill my mom's shoes this year. It doesn't seem possible that she isn't going to be there."



It was truly a husband and wife affair.



Ralph called the tractor pulls and the horse shows while Shirley ran the shows, was in charge of booking the entertainment and ordering the trophies, ribbons and plaques for the awards. After the passing of her husband, Shirley took over his role and became the voice of the pulling contests at fairs throughout New England.



It is now up to Long, Whipple and the rest of their family to continue the Collins legacy.



"We were a committee. It's been very strange the past few months not talking to her about things that need to be done and the things that have already been done," Long said.



It was Shirley Collins and Long who were the first to pay Gilman for a show when he was 9 years old. He said he sang the national anthem in honor of Collins.



"They have followed my career, and country music is about community," Gilman said. "Last year's benefit at Mohegan Sun was the last event Shirley was able to get to, so I wanted to do this for her."



After the opening ceremony, a large group of fair revelers dispersed to enjoy the games, rides and perhaps to indulge in some of the famous fair foods that had been tempting their nostrils.



Andrea Sadowski of Just Like Grandma's Bakery held a tray of heavenly looking desserts. All handmade with the freshest ingredients, the Oreo mousse, seven layer bars and fudge caught the attention of passers-by, but what the people really come to her booth for is the whoopee pies the size of a dinner plate and her famous apple crisp.



"The whoopee pie tastes just like a Devil Dog and you can't get much better than that," Sadowski said.



Nearby, Michael Caster was on the Euro Bungy, his favorite ride at the fair. Attached to a harness, the 6-year-old jumped and somersaulted through the air while his father, Erik, yelled out words of encouragement.



"That was a 10, give me another one!"



"My favorite part was flipping and somersaulting through the air," Michael Caster said. "It wasn't scary because I was brave."



Doug Carocari, chairman of the Board of Directors, said he's expecting large attendance. "With the fireworks for the first time in 15 years on Friday night and the good weather, hopefully we'll be able to get more than 14,000 people coming to the fair," Carocari said.



The fair runs today through Sunday. Admission is $7 for adults, and children under 12 are free. Senior citizens will be admitted free Saturday.



For more information and a schedule of events, visit www.northstoningtonfair.org.

That's our Billy. I heard about him singing the National Anthem from his twitter page. Very cool.

here are two picture's of billy singing

http://thewesterlysun.mycapture.com/mycapture/enlarge.asp?image=30479785&event=1038006&CategoryID=18794



http://thewesterlysun.mycapture.com/mycapture/enlarge.asp?image=30479779&event=1038006&CategoryID=18794&picnum=1&move=F#Image

Melissa,

thanks for sharing the story and the pictures, although the links seem to be broken.

Too bad this wasn't publicized more. If Billy fans knew he were going to be performing, I'm sure quite a few in the New England area would have turned up. Oh well.... there's always next time.

melisabgfanforlife wrote:here are two picture's of billy singing

http://thewesterlysun.mycapture.com/mycapture/enlarge.asp?image=30479785&event=1038006&CategoryID=18794



http://thewesterlysun.mycapture.com/mycapture/enlarge.asp?image=30479779&event=1038006&CategoryID=18794&picnum=1&move=F#Image

Alright. I fixed the links. They should work now.

I'd also like to point out that anyone who is interested can purchase these picturesin various sizes. I would recommend any Billy fan to buy a copy of each picture, because they are rare and sure to become a great piece of memorabilia some day.

Here's another article on the story. It's from the Westerly Sun:



N. STONINGTON - Even though a noted country singer was on hand to belt out the national anthem, the real presence at the North Stonington Fair was the one that wasn't there.

"She was like the fair mother," Elisha Riley, superintendent of the cattle barn, said of the late Shirley Collins.

A fair fixture for more than half a century, Collins passed away in November and was remembered during the opening of this year's four-day fair.

After an opening prayer by The Rev. Rick Pressley of the Third Baptist Church, former child phenom Billy Gilman, of Hope Valley, sang the national anthem in memory of Collins.

"It was perfect," Collins' daughter, Jody Whipple, said of the tribute. "She thought the world of Billy."

This is the 46th year for the popular agricultural fair, which features tractor pulls, an egg toss contest, Bella the Clown, a doll carriage parade, egg and hay bale tosses, and animal demonstrations of every kind.

The Midway features many of the favorites that bring fairgoers back year after year, along with the carnival games that hold promise of prizes such as big furry stuffed creatures and other novelties.

Many come for the food, for corn dogs and cotton candy, fried dough and juicy burgers. And for those who would like to observe what they eat, the baked goods displays hold plenty of inspiration for bakers and cooks alike.

Gilman, the youngest recording artist to ever record a platinum album, began his singing career at the fair in the late '90s. It was there that he met Collins, who, like Gilman, hailed from Hope Valley. "She lived and breathed this fair," Gilman, now 22, said of Collins. "She was a terrific woman, and a good American soul."

Other fair volunteers remembered Collins fondly.

"She was a delight to work with. She's going to be missed, sorely missed," said Sylvia Murray. "No matter how sick she was, you'd never know it. She just kept on plugging."

In addition to volunteering at this fair, Collins traveled the New England fair circuit, calling pulling contests first with her late husband, Ralph "Bub" Collins Jr. and then later on her own.

"We'll miss her voice. She was so much a part of the fair for so long," said Anne Nalwalk, who compared her to a longtime Connecticut radio icon.

"She was the Bob Steele of the North Stonington Fair," she said.

Riley and her sister-in-law, Tammy Epstein, said Collins was always focused on helping children.

"She was all about the kids," Epstein said.

Collins' willingness to pitch in whenever and wherever she was needed was mentioned by several fair committee members.

"She was a hard worker," said volunteer and First Selectman Nicholas H. Mullane II.

The fair continues today at the Wyassup Road fairgrounds at 5 p.m. and all day Saturday and Sunday. Admission is $7 for adults and teens, and there is no charge for children 12 and under. Seniors cost only $4 on Saturday.