Coolidge Hall

Coolidge Hall is the place to be during the Topsfield Fair. The spacious building, located close to the center of the fairgrounds, becomes a showcase during the fair for art, hand crafts and some of the finest cooks in Massachusetts as they enter the various baking contests thge fair offers.

An open display kitchen is constantly used for judging the baking entries and demonstrations. The smell of fresh baked bread wafts out of its ovens filling the entire hall with a homespun aroma. During the fair visitors line up to purchase the warm loaves of oatmeal, raisin and honey-wheat bread.

The kitchen opens up into the vast hall area where hand sewn quilts hang from the ceiling, and tables of hand crafts are displayed. Along one wall area the art show displays the work of professional and non-professional artists, adults and children, alike. To the rear the bin room displays the work of artists that can be purchased. The center of the hall displays numerous demonstrations by artists and craftsmen.

The 40-foot stage is a focal point that bustles with music and entertainment and the annual Mrs.Essex County Pageant is held there on the second Sunday of the fair.