Athens Fair Exhibition Hall
2018
Acton Aug 23-26
Augusta
Athens Aug 7-9
Bangor State Fair July 27-Aug 5
Blue Hill Aug 30 – Sept 3
Clinton Maine Farm Days Aug 22-23; Lions Fair Sept 6-9
Common Ground (Unity) Sept 21-23
Cumberland Sept 23-29
Farmington Sept 16-22
Fryeburg Sept 30 – Oct 7
Harmony Free Fair Aug 31 – Sept 3
Houlton June 30-July 4
Litchfield Sept 7-9
Monmouth Aug 1-4
New Portland Lions Club Fair 14-16
Ossipee Valley Fair, So. Hiram) July 12-15
Oxford Oxford County Fair Sept 12-15
Dover-Foxcroft Piscataquis Valley Fair
Pittston July 26-29
Presque Isle Northern Maine Fair July 27-Aug 4
Skowhegan State Fair Aug 9-18
Springfield Sept 1-2
Topsham Aug 5-12
Union Aug 18-25
Waterford World’s Fair July 20-22
Windsor Aug 26 – Sept 3
Fryeburg Fair (2004)
Team of Mules at the Common Ground Fair in Unity (2003)
The agricultural fair has been a tradition in many rural communities for years. Nearly thirty fairs of all sizes still dot the landscape.
One of the newest is the Common Ground Fair, now in Unity. Sponsored by the The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA), it runs for three days in late September. MOFGA was formed in 1971 and claims to be the oldest and largest state organic organization in the country. The Fair drew over 59,600 people in 2010.
Fryeburg Fair (2004)
Fryeburg Fair (2004)
The “granddaddy” of them all, at least in size, is the Fryeburg Fair. Harness horse racing is a staple at the major fairs: Bangor, Cumberland, Farmington, Fryeburg, Northern Maine, Oxford, Skowhegan, Topsham, and Windsor.
Skowhegan Fair (2001)
Skowhegan Fair (2001)
The Showhegan State Fair, held in August, is nearly 200 years old and claims to be the oldest agricultural fair in Maine.
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Additional resources
Fryeburg Fair Book Committee. Fryeburg Fair: First 150 Years, 1851-2000. Fryeburg, Me. West Oxford Agricultural Society. c2000. [Maine State Library]
Hayes, Earle R. Windsor Fair, Windsor, Maine: A History. Windsor, Me. 1970. [Maine State Library]
Hayes, Earle R. “Windsor Fair” Windsor, Maine: A History of the First 100 Years. Maine. 1989? [Maine State Library]
Lunt, C. Richard K., collector. [Maine folklife survey videotape], Summer 1980. (Cataloger Note: Video recording of horse pulling at the Blue Hill Fair, August, 1980. Maine Folklife Survey.) [University of Maine. Maine Folk Life Center]
Mattoon, Donald P. The First Century Union Fair … 1869-1969. 1969? [Maine State Library]
Somerset Central Agricultural Society. Schedule of Premiums and Rules and Regulations of the Somerset Central Agricultural Society’s Annual Cattle Show and Fair to be held at Skowhegan, Maine Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, October 1, 2, and 3, 1889. [University of Maine, Raymond H. Fogler Library, Special Collections]
Skowhegan, Me. Reporter Steam Print. 1889.