Country Fair Sideshows and Contests Quiz

Answer: Aunt Sally

The more famous the victim is, the more money he/she raises as people vie to put the sponge into their face in this good-natured side show.

Answer: Coconut Shy

To shy means to throw. Rumour has it that sometimes the nuts are stuck into the cups in which they stand because they are so hard to dislodge.

Answer: Splat the Rat

This is a favourite with young men wanting to show off but it is not as easy as it looks. Spectators need to be kept well back from the most enthusiastic players.

Answer: a soft ball of rags

This is a nice cheap stall to set up. Five well washed, matching tins are stacked, three on the bottom row, two above and one on top. The missile is made from rags bound with string to form a ball. Every tin must be dislodged to count.

Answer: Tug of War

The local rules vary. Eight per team is usual. Sometimes there are teams of women and teams of young boys. There are also tournaments when several teams want to take part. This is a well contested sport. The heaviest player is usually at the end and is known as the anchor.

Answer: Tombola

This is often preferred to a raffle for several reasons. First the prizes are given immediately so players do not have to hang around. Then more people win prizes, which is always good. Also the prizes are really inexpensive. The dearest is likely to be a bottle of wine.

Not all the tickets win prizes every time. Perhaps it is decided that only those numbers ending with a 0 or a 5 win. Sometimes there may be booby prizes - an empty paper bag or a torn pair of underclothes or yesterday's newspaper. Because people are not expecting to win a great deal, these cause a lot of fun and teasing.

Answer: Inverted eggshells

This is as much fun to prepare as to play. I have known this played at school fetes, and the children were given the egg shells in advance and asked to paint them. That was always enjoyed and was a great way to contain their excitement as the day approached. It also made the Treasure Island more colourful and interesting.

Answer: Her name

This competition must be carefully planned or more than one person will win and if the doll is to be the prize that becomes a problem.
I have found the easiest way is to display a large print list of names and ask people to chose the one they want. This way, only one person can chose each name.
Other variations of this game are to guess the number of bolts in a meccano model or to estimate the number of stitches in some embroidery or to guess the length of the ribbon that is tied and tangled all around the stall, sometimes also tied around the stall holder.

Answer: Hoopla

This can be too easy if the prizes are small and the prizes cost more than the entry fees. The way that professional fairs cope with this is to put the prizes on blocks of wood and the hoop has to encircle those as well and lay flat on the table.

Answer: Bouncy castle

Bouncy castles come in all shapes and sizes. They can be fairyland castles or woodland walks, with "trees" and "rabbit holes" which must be avoided, or pirate ships or even pink rabbits who lie an their backs and kick their legs in the air.
They are great fun as long as the safety rules are observed - and providing the children know where to find the shoes they have had to remove when they began.