The Extravaganza Fair ready to excite Hamilton again
Loads of entertainment awaits at this years Extravaganza Fair at Claudelands Park
It’s Saturday morning after a long week at work and you’re woken up by that dreaded sound.
It’s the familiar sound of your children bickering, arguing about who gets to play the video game and who has to sit and watch it. You drag yourself out of bed wondering how you’re going to settle them down and get their eyes off the screen.
This weekend, one option is the Extravaganza Fair.
The Extravaganza Fair is a travelling community that is in its second season and this year they’ve returned to Claudelands Park.
Hipsy Scott joined The Extravaganza last year and has become a part of its management. A Waikato local, Scott has travelled for more than 10 years and after a short break she knew she had to get back on the road.
“It gets in your blood, once you start travelling; it’s just what you want to do,” she says.
While making some mouth-watering samosas, Scott tells me that she first became interested in travelling after watching a feature about it on an episode of Country Calendar. The following year, she was out doing it.
As for the samosas, they’re for her partner Dick’s food store, the wonderfully named “Dickinson’s Gastronomical Emporium.”
“They take me a while, but good food takes time. I grind all my own spices so they’re quite spicy and vegetarian too.”
Hipsy also runs her own face painting stall and crafts clothing out of old materials such as bedspreads. Other attractions include the Ashton Family Circus, live music from K2 The Power and a Trickster Fire Show!
New to the scene are Dusty and Jessica Porch or, as they’re known in the community, Porch Precision. The couple sold everything and bought a bus last year so that they could spend more time together.
Dusty runs The Shooting Gallery, a classic game where you use a rifle to shoot at targets for prizes. Jessica has her own barber shop and is back cutting hair after an extended break while their boys grew up.
“The kids think it [travelling] i’s fantastic.” Jessica says.
“They don’t want to go back,” Dusty adds.
Head on down to Claudelands Park tomorrow and chances are, yours won’t either.
