HEATH — Crowds showed up in full force for the Heath Fair over the weekend, excited to participate in a time-honored tradition that has been bringing the community together for more than a century.

The 106th annual fair, organized by the Heath Agricultural Society, continued its agricultural focus, with animals, tractor pulls, equine obstacle courses and more. Crowds were all smiles and laughter as they explored the vendors stalls, chowed down on classic fair food like fried dough, cheered on riders in the antique tractor parade and enjoyed the fireworks show.

For Easthampton artist Pascale Jarvis, the Heath Fair is all about community. They said they love meeting fair attendees, talking to them and hearing their stories.

“There’s an eclectic mix here, from real hardy farmers who have been here for generations to, well, people like me,” Jarvis said.

Jarvis has been selling printed clothing with unique nature-inspired designs at the fair for three years now, having been drawn back year after year by the community.

“It’s the connections that are forged here,” Jarvis said. “That’s why I keep coming each year.”

Quilter Jane Harris of Shelburne Falls agreed, saying the community at the Heath Fair is like no other.

“This is a great fair,” Harris said. “Especially for crafters. People here appreciate crafts.”

This was the second year at the fair for Harris, who calls herself a “rebel quilter” for her imperfect seams and untraditional designs. She has been crafting for years but only began selling her work at fairs after she retired.

Like Jarvis, Harris said she loves talking to people at the fair, telling them about her work and hearing their own unique ideas for her pieces.

Last year, one young girl purchased a quilted phone case pouch to use as a home for a her toy lizard, and another woman purchased a large quilted unicorn tapestry to donate it to the children’s room of a local library.

Harris said she only sells her work at local fairs, and that’s why events like the Heath Fair are special — their focus on local vendors, local food and local people.

Vendors offered a range of goods and services, from professional timber framing and milling demonstrations, to leather bags and wallets made from recycled saddles.

The Exhibit Hall is another draw that keeps people coming back annually. Many submit their locally grown tomatoes, freshly baked cakes, hand-stitched pillows and more for the competition. The Exhibit Hall was filled with hundreds of entries, which were all hung up for display and judged by an anonymous team on Thursday.

Six-year-old Lula Totina of Shelburne Falls submitted seven entries in different categories, including sewing and squash decorating, for which she earned first place.

Lula has been busy preparing for the Heath Fair. In fact, she said she’s been thinking about it all year. While looking at last year’s entries, she began thinking about how she would want to decorate her own squash for this year.

While the fair is all about sticking to tradition, there were a few changes, namely the addition of boer goats. The fair traditionally has shows for cattle, rabbits, poultry, sheep, horses and dairy goats.

Boer goats are a South African goat breed primarily raised for meat. According to the American Boer Goat Association (ABGA), the breed was first introduced in America in 1993. The association hosted a boer goat market and show on Friday evening, a welcome addition to opening night as most of the livestock seen at the fair is not on-site until Saturday.

Reach Madison Schofield at 413-930-4579 or mschofield@recorder.com.