WOODSTOCK, CONN. - Over a period of time, the historical Brunn Barn, located on the southern end of the Woodstock Fairgrounds, has held its own through weather, use, and movement to its current location on the fairgrounds. The sign on the west side of the barn, however, needed redoing as the weather and sun had damaged the lettering and background.
Steve Fairfield, one of the barn’s superintendents, volunteered many hours and his precise talents to provide a beautifully updated and protected sign that will last for many years.
"Repair and repainting of the approximate 8-foot weathered Brunn Barn sign began in January 2023. After careful removal from the barn’s west wall on a cold January day, the sign was allowed to dry out by the wood stove for a few weeks before starting the repair. After scraping, sanding, filling in cracks and checks, followed by more sanding, I recarved the outlines of the characters and re-painted the sign. After the application of primer, I painted the letters and added a seal coat and the sign was ready to be rehung on the west wall of the barn again,” Fairfield said.
The before and after photos show the wear and current update to the sign.
Reattaching the large, heavy sign was completed by Dan Migneault and Dave Gareau, at no cost to the Agricultural Society, which included the people who operated the specialized equipment to safely and accurately lift the sign and bolt it to the spot where it originated.