Fun fact about me: I love going to fairs, almost as much as I love fall in Maine. Although I couldn’t convince anyone to go to the Blue Hill Fair with me earlier this month, last weekend’s events more than made up for it. Due to general spontaneity, inability to plan anything in advance, and love for all things fair, I double booked plans to go to The Common Ground and Farmington Fairs. It was awesome.
There are so many things to love about the fair: the noises, the smells (which change depending on whether you’re closer to the livestock end of things or milling about the various food options), . Here are some highlights from my fair-hopping weekend (with some marketing quips thrown in, because I can’t turn that part of my brain off).
Fair 1: The Common Ground Fair
About the Fair. Every fall when I was at Bates, a bunch of fellow students would go to The Common Ground Fair in Unity. My friends and I always wanted to 
go, but never made it out there. Earlier this summer, with a sneaking suspicion that the Blue Hill Fair were going to fall through, I planted the idea for Common Ground in my mom’s brain. Hosted by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardners Association, Common Ground has it all: arts and crafts, livestock,
food, health and medicine, energy and shelter, music and entertainment. Mom and I got to the fair first thing on Saturday morning, so there weren’t many people there yet. Since neither one of us had been before, we just went with the flow and had no real agenda throughout the day (minus my fiber obsession, but more on that later). There are a lot of vendors at Common Ground (not sure on an exact number), and the ones that stood out to me didn’t catch my eye because they had flashy displays or other showiness. These are the things that stood out to me:
Small Samples. In addition to larger items, many of the vendors offered smaller scale items or samples of their goods. There was a woodworker who, in addition to dishware and furniture, had an area set aside with wooden tops, and invited people to test them out and by them. I was drawn to the fiber tent (I’ve been intrigued by wool and spinning lately). One of the angora rabbit farms had bagged samples of their wool, asking only for a 25 cent donation if you took a bag. These are only a couple examples of the samples throughout the fair, but it’s an excellent example of the “Sales Funnel” that we’ve talked about. Rather than expecting people to make a leap from never having met you to making a large purchase, these small samples were a way to make a connection and ease people into a larger transaction at some point in the future.
Demos. As previously mentioned, I’ve been intrigued by wool and spinning lately. In the fiber marketplace, I had the opportunity to see some spinning in action. There was a woman doing drop spindle lessons, and I spent a couple minutes spinning wool into yarn (not very well, mind you-it takes a lot of hand-eye coordination and practice, I’m assuming). I came away with a spindle of my own, determined to, as my dad would say, “learn me a trade.” This is going to be a winter project, updates to follow. Similar to small samples, demonstrations encourage interactions with potential customers and educate people about your business (or a piece of it).
Almost brought these bunnies home, but settled for some of their wool instead.
Another highlight was stopping in to see our friends from Tucker Mountain Log Homes showing their stuff in the energy and shelter area!
For next year, besides planning my day a little better (or at all), I’d like to spend more time enjoying the sights and trying out some of the food. Getting there early was a pro move that I highly recommend…but onto the next fair!
Fair 2: Farmington Fair
Later that evening, I went to the Farmington Fair (hosted by the Franklin County Agricultural Society). Although it a different pace with a different crowd, and brought back memories of going to the Bangor State Fair and Union Fairs as a kiddo. One of the best and worst parts of the fair is definitely the cuisine. As a kid, I was too picky to enjoy the staple fair food (all I ate were chicken fingers, which my parents didn’t let me order at the fair). Until introduced to King & Queen’s Fries drenched in vinegar, the fair was all about the rides and trying to win an absurdly over-sized stuffed animal. Overcome by waves of nostalgia, I had some King & Queen’s Fries for dinner (kudos to the guy scooping out the fries- he had a heavy handed pour) and regretted nothing.
What I loved about the Farmington Fair, and the fairs of my childhood, is the blend of unusual (the rides, games, and shows) with the local. For example, there are the food trucks that you see at every . And with agricultural fairs, everything comes from local farms, gardens, and clubs. There’s really no other venue for these elements to interact with each other that makes sense. Chances are, the faces will be familiar, but there’s also the chance to beat your friends in the water gun game, willingly jump on a ride where you spin in circles while you scream and try not to throw up, or eat a donut as big as your own head. And then look forward to doing it all over again next year.
The main reason we went to the Farmington Fair: the Demolition Derby. When people talk about train wrecks that they can’t turn away from…this is what they’re talking about. I lost track of how many rounds there were, but the whole experience was intoxicating, like Gladiator but with beat up cars. One moment I’d be on the edge of my seat, the next peering through my hands- at one point I’d been holding my breath for so long, I almost got sick (not cool in the Grandstand, folks). Sure, it was crowded and a tad overwhelming, but that’s all part of the experience. Towards the end, a The grand finale came was a “Final Car Standing” match, with cars donated by the local Ford dealership.
Plus, we got to watch the moonrise (night before the Super Moon) over the track. How can you beat it?
