W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 83
Fact Book / Doing Business in Maine
P H OTO E S S AY
CHILD'S PLAY: Fairs cultivate future cultivators, with events such as chicken beauty pageants and baking contests, along with instructional activities on
how, for example, to grow vegetables and market them. At the Union Fair in Union (above left), a farmer-to-be gazes at poultry, and the poultry gazes back.
Close to the Canadian border at the Northern Maine Fair in Presque Isle (above right), a young reader learns about maple syrup in a book from the treehouse
library at the "Lil' Lumberjacks" installation — an exhibit that won a nationwide first place medal in 2023 as an innovative educational program.
THRILL OF VICTORY: Tests of speed,
strength, agility and endurance — of animal
and human athletes — are fair traditions.
At far left, Mareea Decker takes a victory
lap with her sheep Dally after winning
the junior sheep trials at the Union Fair.
One of the highlights of the Fryeburg Fair
is Woodsmen's Field Day, an Olympics
for woodchoppers, chainsaw wielders,
axe-throwers and more -- 28 events in
all. Heaving the log toward the finish line
(near left) is Ashley Severy, a regular
in woodswomen's competitions who is
attracted to the sport because, she says,
"it's so rooted in New England."
ANCIENT ARTS: It's hard to find
a good blacksmith when you need
one these days, lending a sense
of nostalgia to scenes like the
horseshoe-forging demonstration in
Presque Isle (near right), a fair with
origins in 1851. The least common
of Maine's agricultural exhibitions
is, ironically, the Common Ground
fair, first held in 1977. Not only is
pottery-making on the menu (far
right), but also yoga, mindfulness,
herbalist presentations and
environmental and social activism.
