Can’t wait for fair season to start? You don’t have to. It already has.
Even though some of Maine’s best-known and biggest fairs are in the fall, including the Common Ground Country Fair and Fryeburg Fair, there are fairs happening across the state in the summer, too. Officially known as agricultural fairs, they are small-town, old-timey celebrations featuring lots of animals, farming skill demos, food and entertainment.
Here’s a look at 11 Maine fairs happening all over the state, from now through August. Check back in the fall because there are another 10 fairs scheduled for September and October.
79 Academy Road, Monmouth. monmouthfair.com
The fair in this small Central Maine town started in the early 1900s. Its mission is to educate people about farm life while entertaining them, too. There are traditional fair events like pig scrambles, where kids try grab a squealing, sprinting piglet, as well as horse pulling and tractor pulling, a pie-eating contest, hay bale-tossing and frying pan-tossing competitions. There are also carnival rides and live entertainment at night.
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291 S. Hiram Road, Hiram. ossipeevalleyfair.com
Held in tiny South Hiram, this fair is near the New Hampshire border and the White Mountains. It’s a relatively new fair, as far as Maine fairs go, having begun in 1980. There are daily demos, including goat milking, blacksmithing, sheep clipping and wool spinning. You can also meet with a goat whisperer. There’s a daily pig calling, where kids who’ve been raising their pigs for six weeks show how how well-trained (or not) their porcine friends are. From the fair, it’s about a 10-minute drive to the historic and much-photographed Porter-Parsonsfield Covered Bridge, built in 1859.
95 Randall Ave., Houlton. houltonfair.org
Never been to Aroostook County, potato capital of the world? Here’s your chance. The Houlton Fair includes chainsaw art, a Hula Hoop contest, a hay bale relay race, a donut-eating contest, a potato-picking contest and a demolition derby. Besides the many animals and farming exhibits, there’s a giant midway with rides and games.
36 Irving Green Road, North Waterford. waterfordworldsfair.org
This fair is a great example of how people in small towns can have big ideas. The whole town of Waterford, north of Bridgton, has about 1,500 residents. Yet the farmers who started this fair in 1852 had no qualms about putting “world” in the title. The fair this year includes saddle horse, draft horse, steer and oxen shows; pig scrambles; an antique tractor pull; apple pie judging and lessons on beekeeping. There will be demonstrations of woodlot skills by by the Axe Women Loggers of Maine, and a ladies skillet throwing contest. One origin story for the latter contends that back in the day, being able to accurately throw a skillet helped a woman keep her husband in line.
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515 Main St., Bangor. bangorstatefair.com
Maine is such a great state for fairs, it actually has two state fairs, with both Bangor and Skowhegan claiming the title. There’s a little bit of everything here, including harness racing (horses pulling drivers in sulkies), wrestling, a demolition derby, truck pulls, an ice cream-eating contest, baking contests and a huge variety of farm animals and demos. The fair uses an image of mythical lumberjack Paul Bunyan as part of its logo, so while in town, check out the 31-foot-tall statue of him on Main Street.
175 Fairgrounds Lane, Union. unionfair.org
Got blueberries? The Union Fair is also home to the annual Maine Wild Blueberry Festival. The tidy little town and its blueberry-covered hills are just a 20-minute drive from Camden. There will be various kinds of blueberry pie and blueberry baked goods contests. A Blueberry Queen will be crowned, to represent the wild blueberry industry for the coming year.
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32 Community Way, Topsham. topshamfair.org
Just across the Androscoggin River from Brunswick, Tophsam’s fair dates to the 1850s. There’s harness racing, truck pulling, a demolition derby, baking contests, wood carving demos, ox pulling, and goat milking. There’s also a midway and live entertainment, including Maine’s favorite funk band, Motor Booty Affair, Aug. 11 at 7 p.m.
33 Constitution Ave., Skowhegan. skowheganstatefair.com
It’s hard to find an older fair, as this one began in 1819 as a showcase for the Somerset Central Agricultural Society. That’s so long ago, Maine was still part of Massachusetts. Some of the scheduled highlights this year include demolition derbies, tractor pulls, drag racing, harness racing, a midway with rides and livestock exhibitions. The full schedule will be out later in the summer on the fair’s website.
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77 Fairview Ave., Dover-Foxcroft. piscataquisvalleyfair.com
If you missed the Maine Whoopie Pie Festival, held on June 13 this year, here’s another reason to visit Dover-Foxcroft. The schedule for this year’s fair is not out yet, but last year’s edition included an AC/DC cover band, a pie contest, a midway, “Animal Land,” milking demos, steer and oxen pulling, skillet throwing, a pig scramble and a cornhole tournament. This year’s Miss Maple pageant will be on Aug. 29.
550 Route 109, Acton. actonfair.net
Take a summer drive to the lake. This small York County town on the New Hampshire border is surrounded by ponds and lakes, and the fairgrounds is just steps from Mousam Lake. The fair features a rabbit barn, dairy barn, a car show, worm composting for beginners, pig calling, “wee wee” pig racing, milking demos, music and more. You can also experience “the sweet smell of success” by playing cow patty bingo. Yes, it’s just what it sounds like.
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82 Ridge Road, Windsor. windsorfair.com
One of the highlights of this year’s fair is the concert Sept. 5 by nationally-known country artist Chris Cagle, who had several hits on country radio stations in the early 2000s. His song “I Breathe In, I Breathe Out” was number one on the country charts. The rest of the fair’s schedule is not online yet, but last year’s events included a giant pumpkin contest, harness racing, a midway, a pig scramble and a demolition derby. There’s also usually a woodsman’s field day, where lumberjacks show off skills like cross-cut sawing, felling trees and log rolling.