Teams of Belgian draft horses, owned by Kurt Johnson of Knox, will pull around the grounds some of the big old wagons owned by the fair that have not been taken out in years.

GUILDERLAND — New York National Guard troops will be giving free disaster preparedness classes at Crossgates Mall on Tuesday, Aug. 11, from 6 to 8 p.m.

The state’s Department of Environmental Conservation is encouraging New Yorkers to participate in a survey for wild turkeys throughout the month of August.

Fran Hahn, who loves her library book club, collects books all year long — from garage sales and friends — to give away for free during Fair Week to people who visit the one-room schoolhouse on the fairgrounds.

ALTAMONT — Alan Casline is a poet; he thinks in metaphors.

He likens poets reading at the Altamont Fair to a hummingbird — “aerodynamically and scientifically proven to be unable to fly but no one told the humming bird.”

He asks, “How many county fairs feature poetry?  How many do so for 29 straight years?”

A constitutional convention should work toward consensus, eschewing the partisan politics that have polarized progress in recent years.