Fryeburg Fair It's Just That Kind of Place!

Are you going to THE FAIR! If you have friends from northern New England or have traveled the area you'll know right off that they are talking about the granddaddy of New England Agricultural fairs. 

"It was a chilly day in March of 1851 when a few local farmers and merchants got together and decided to show off their produce, cattle and wares to the community. Since those humble beginnings, Fryeburg Fair has grown to become Maine's largest agricultural fair complete with six days of harness racing, a farm museum second to none, the world's largest steer and oxen show and a reputation known throughout North America."  The fair is also high tech and has a great online resource at http://www.fryeburgfair.com.

The 2007 fair will be held from September 30, 2007 to October 7, 2007. It's not too early to send in your reservation for a campsite NOW!

We visited again in 2006 after a 10 year absence. Our first trip as empty nesters and without a multi family entourage was a trip back in time for us. There are numerous campgrounds nearby, but after our first visit we prefer camping right on the grounds. There are 2 large RV areas, the original Fairview and the newer Trackside. The fair website features an photo of the campgrounds. They are HUGE and tightly packed with rv's, trucks and chase cars

When you arrive you'll find friends you never knew you had. It's just that kind of place. Like an annual Woodstock for New Englanders. The folks who work and volunteer in the campsites are helpful and informative. You'll find your neighbors just as friendly and helpful. It's just that kind of place.

We like visit for the last weekend which is the long Columbus Day Weekend. We made our reservations in August for our Friday arrival and recieved our postal response quickly, Make sure that you return your form AND payment within the allotted time.

Our Friday night arrival was delayed due to heavy traffic heading north for the holiday. (It's been like this everytime we go so we are used to it). We called the campsite office from the road and told them we were going to be late (10pm or so) and they assured us that it wasn't a problem. 

We discovered the nice thing about a late arrival. There is NO day traffic going to the fair, it's all leaving. When we arrived there was a long line of late arrivals and a large number of volunteers to get us in line, organized, registered and parked. 

I guess the experience we had parking is an example of what was in store for us. As we turned into our assigned row I looked down a very narrow lane of parked chase vehicles. Literally within seconds there were folks wandering out to help. Vehicles were moved and walkers were in place to guide us through. There was one spot where the owners of vehicles were not around so I was guided through without a problem. When I we arrived at our assigned space, Bruce our new neighbor got out of bed to move his truck for us, guide us into our space and make sure that our hookups were ok. It's just that kind of place!

Saturday morning there was a knock on the door. It was Bruce's friend who was parked behind us. He didn't realize that we had arrived during the night and was coming over for coffee. We spent about 20 minutes chatting about the fair and the world in general. He and his wife earmark the 10 days of the fair as one of their vacations every year. It's just that kind of place.

Saturday morning at the fair features the Grand Parade and EVERYBODY is there. Find a spot at the fence early and stay there. This is the largest and longest agricultural parade you will ever experience. From the 4H kids and their prized animals to those who show manage teams of pulling animals and everything in between. During an election year some of the in between are politicians, but they don't last long and the organizers put them in front of the main parade so they don't get their feet dirty.

Shortly after the parade finishes the harness racing takes over. Harness racing is a unique tradition of old New England Fairs. There are varients that drifted to the "tracks" but the best form is found at the summer and fall agricultural fairs throughout the area. Grab a peice of fence or a seat in the Grandstand. If you're adventurous you can even lay down a $2 bet!

Fryeburg Fair is well laid out with exhibit buildings and judging areas for specific events. The pulling barn is our favorite hangout. Make sure that you arrive early for your chosen event the stands fill up early. If your a bit late just wait outside for awhile and seats will open up as some drift off to the midway or other events.

The Midway is packed with everything you'll find in any other midway except there is more of it. Great for the young or the young at heart. Night time weekends are crowded but managable. If you have a group or family make sure that you arrange a meeting place and time.

There is a large "commercial" area with everything from kitchen gadgets to heavy equipment dealers and lots of stuff in between. We found the RV displays interesting and a preview of what we would see at the winter shows. We were fortunate to pick up some leads on where to find a brand we were especially interested in for our next travel trailer.

You can meander through the livestock exhibits during most of the fair. Most of the time you will find the animal owners nearby and anxious to answer any questions you may have. How they maintain their cheeful response after answering the same question over and over amazes me at times. The fair is so large that there are seperate camping areas for exhibitors by breed of animal. Each area has it's own office and group of staff and volunteers.

So pick your dates and events you want to see, make your reservations and head off to THE FAIR.... It's just that kind of place!