"There's bargains all over town, and they also had music on the hour and every kind of entertainment," Amberger said. "It's to keep the town vibrant."
Several Hanover retail stores participated in the event, offering merchandise and clothing at discounted prices. Students were "fighting over" clothes at Juliana's booth as early as 9 a.m., Lucretia Witte '10 said, as dresses that are normally sold for $400 were discounted to $40.
Most of the vendors came from within a 30-mile radius of Hanover, Amberger said, giving this year's fair a more local focus than in previous years. Three Dartmouth organizations also took part " the non-profit mentoring program DREAM, the Hood Museum of Art and the Hopkins Center for the Arts.
Several of the booths were set up by local artisans, such as Julie Choi of Jule's Collections, who was selling handmade jewelry. Choi, who also attended the fair last year, said she participates because she has many loyal customers in the area.
This year's event was also the second fair for the Dominican Republic Projects, an effort run by a Norwich, Vt. church. The project sells tote bags made by women in the Dominican Republic from plastic grocery bags to promote recycling and community development, according to Rita Severinghaus, the project's founder.
"We want to join in the community spirit and gain visibility for this effort," Severinghaus said of the decision to participate in the fair.
Emily Fiocco '10 said she did not stay at the fair very long because most of the products being sold were more appropriate for community members than students.
"I looked at the booths and saw what they were offering and listened to the older Hanover residents brag about the 'great deals' they got at the booths -- things like mixing bowls and house supplies," Fiocco said. "Most of the booths were either geared for older residents or they had sort of useless things -- it looked like the stores' 'extras' almost, that they were selling at a discount on the streets."
Sam Parsons '10, however, said she was not disappointed by the fair's offerings.
"There was a pretty good variety, given that it's Hanover," she said.
Amberger also said the larger variety of food available made this year's fair better than its predecessors, citing participation by Hanover restaurants such as Molly's and the Canoe Club. Parsons agreed, telling The Dartmouth that the French fries she had ordered from Lous' booth were the best she had ever had.
Steve Forman and his five-year-old son, Dylan, from Des Moines, Iowa who were visiting family in the area, said they particularly enjoyed the entertainment offered by the fair. In addition to enjoying live musical performances, Dylan Forman had scaled a rock climbing wall three times, the two said.
The fair also included free hay rides around the Green, dancers and street performers, Amberger said.
Approximately 6,000 people attended this year's fair, Amberger estimated, with attendance historically ranging from 5,000 to 10,000, depending on the weather. The fair was particularly crowded, according to several vendors, in the morning, but became less crowded after it began raining in the afternoon.
"I think there were fewer people [this year], and some of our products got pretty wet," said Jill Butler of J List, a store based in Norwich, who was participating in the fair for her second year.
Siedra Loeffler, who was working at the booth for Umpleby's Bakery, though, said the rain did not particularly affect its sales.
"Right after the rain stopped, it was crowded again and crazy," she said.
