Watertown’s annual Faire on the Square brings community together

Raider Times photo / Saron Nebiye

Officer Colon can only hope this ball misses its mark while working the dunk tank at Watertown’s annual Faire on the Square on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017.

Saron Nebiye, Raider Times staff
October 22, 2017

On Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the annual Faire on the Square was held near the Watertown Free Public Library! If you didn’t have a chance to go, here is a summary of what you missed.

As I looked around, I saw people with their families and friends enjoying themselves while eating fried dough or ice cream. There were a variety of foods offered, such as hot dogs, Italian ice, French fries, churros, and more. Anaïs Markwood, who has been going to the Faire on the Square for about 10 years, suggested, “They could use some corn dogs.”

Lameh Rifai, another attendee, said she would like to see a little improvement in the choices and quality of the food.

Raider Times photo / Saron Nebiye
Watertown’s annual Faire on the Square was held Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017.

Stands of all different kinds were selling jewelry, shirts, toys, purses, and even art pieces. There were also a mix of stands for promotion. I spotted one from Bank of America and one for CERT (Community Emergency Response Team).

There was quite a lot entertainment at the Faire. There was a fantastic band who even played “Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson. There were also many groups of dancers who performed to mostly hip-hop songs. By the response of the crowd, they were a hit.

There were also other activities such as balloon popping, horseback riding, and other small games that the kids seemed to love.

One activity that was popular was the water-dunking station starring, among others, Officer Colon, who is the Watertown Middle School resource officer.

But all the entertainment was not up to par. One thing that was missing was rides. These crowd favorites were nowhere to be seen on the basketball court behind the Boys and Girls Club where they are usually placed. People said that the Faire was not as fun without the rides and, if they were to make changes, they would bring them back.

Although the entire Faire on the Square might not have lived up to expectations, there were still good times to be had. There is always spirit of community, noted by Anaïs, that cannot be found elsewhere.

Don’t worry if you missed it this time, because it will be back next year!