BELCHERTOWN — The Belchertown Fair returns to the Commons this weekend for the 165th annual celebration with a packed schedule of free competitions, demonstrations and entertainment for all ages.

This year’s theme, “Barn in the USA,” pays tribute to Belchertown’s agricultural roots with a play on Bruce Springsteen’s famous song, “Born in the USA.” While the Exhibit Hall will be decorated to match the Belchertown Fair and Parade Committee’s interpretation of the theme, residents will model their version of “Barn in the USA” during Saturday’s parade, either as a part of the 57 groups traveling down Main Street or cheering on the sidelines.

“Because we are an agricultural community, the theme will heavily show agricultural,” said Cindy Brown, a member of the Belchertown Fair and Parade Committee. “Most likely, there will be more than one Bruce Springsteen on a float in the parade with Bruce Springsteen music playing.”

The Belchertown Fair draws between 36,000 and 38,000 people each year, but Brown said the estimate is conservative. She notes it’s the only fair in the Pioneer Valley with free admission, though food, parking and rides and games provided by Fanelli Amusements cost extra.

“You can come and entertain your family for three days and not spend a dime, except on parking. That’s rare today,” Brown said.

Livestock competitions are the largest attraction to the fair, like the rabbit and poultry shows. Brown said Belchertown’s animal pulls are some of the most popular in the fair circuit. The horse pull on Saturday tests the strength of horse teams in two categories: above and below 3,300 pounds. The oxen team compete in four different weight classes on Sunday, ranging from 2,400 pounds to 3,300 pounds. The competitions pack the three bleachers surrounding the pulling ring as soon as the event starts, leaving only standing room for fans of the sport.

“If they’re a real pull enthusiast, they go from fair to fair, especially to watch favorite teams,” Brown said. “It’s like a baseball team, except your watching your oxen or horses. They come early to get their best spot. They have their breakfast and coffee and they are good for the day.”

While animal pulls remain a county fair staple, two unique contests draw in a similarly excited crowd. In the frog jumping contests, both children and adults bring a frog they captured from the wild and test its ability to hop the farthest before releasing the amphibian back into the wild.

The baby contests gathers newborns of all shapes and sizes to win titles like most handsome, best natured and chubbiest baby.

“We have people who as babies won ribbons and now are they’re back in the contest holding their grandchildren,” Brown said.

Contest winners take center stage in the Exhibit Hall, Brown said, displaying the cream of the crop out of over 850 submissions of produce, plants, flowers, agricultural products, baked goods, crafts and art. Winners in about 164 categories get a small cash price, first place ribbon and bragging rights.

“There’s a category called trash to treasure,” Brown said, referring to a competition where people turn used and discarded items into an art piece. “If you turn a bunch of stuff that should have been thrown away into a treasure, there’s a lot of bragging rights with that one.”

Live music will fill the Common throughout the weekend so fairgoers can jam out to local bands while waiting in line for rides or viewing their favorite barn animal. The lineup includes local favorite Baby Driver, middle school rock band Ultraviolet, party dance group Pandemonium, country rock band Cottonwood, genre-bending Aida O’Brien and various music acts from the Berkshire Hills Music Academy.

Demonstrations, both as workshops and shows, will feature martial arts, woodworking, cake decorating, wool spinning and starting sourdough from local business and residents. Families can also enjoy activities catered to children, from the Kids Night Out event on Friday evening to the weekend-long petting zoo. Many of the contests include a youth and adult category, allowing kids to throw a hay bale or pull a tractor like their favorite parent or pulling team.

The fair is free, Brown said, because of the donated labor from enthusiastic residents, the free-to-use location of the Common and donations from sponsors. This year, the fair has at least 75 sponsors. Brown said the fair is the main fundraiser for many nonprofits in town, so small businesses and new companies set up booths to give information and sell wears.

For families interested in playing games or indulging in the thrill of roller coasters, Brown suggests buying wristbands or passes ahead of time on the Franelli Amusements website to save on attractions.

“If you lived in Belchertown for a long time or went to school in Belchertown, the fair is like the equivalent of homecoming,” Brown said.

Emilee Klein can be reached at eklein@gazettenet.com.