11 Maine festivals to hit for summer time enjoyable

Can’t look ahead to truthful season to start out? You don’t need to. It already has.

Even although a few of Maine’s best-known and largest festivals are within the fall, together with the Common Ground Country Fair and Fryeburg Fair, there are festivals occurring throughout the state in the summertime, too. Officially referred to as agricultural festivals, they’re small-town, old-timey celebrations that includes plenty of animals, farming ability demos, meals and leisure.

Here’s a take a look at 11 Maine festivals occurring everywhere in the state, from now by means of August. Check again within the fall as a result of there are another 10 fairs scheduled for September and October.

79 Academy Road, Monmouth. monmouthfair.com

The truthful on this small Central Maine city began within the early 1900s. Its mission is to coach folks about farm life whereas entertaining them, too. There are conventional truthful occasions like pig scrambles, the place children attempt seize a squealing, sprinting piglet, in addition to horse pulling and tractor pulling, a pie-eating contest, hay bale-tossing and frying pan-tossing competitions. There are additionally carnival rides and dwell leisure at evening.

291 S. Hiram Road, Hiram. ossipeevalleyfair.com

Held in tiny South Hiram, this truthful is close to the New Hampshire border and the White Mountains. It’s a comparatively new truthful, so far as Maine festivals go, having begun in 1980. There are every day demos, together with goat milking, blacksmithing, sheep clipping and wool spinning. You may meet with a goat whisperer. There’s a every day pig calling, the place children who’ve been elevating their pigs for six weeks present how how well-trained (or not) their porcine pals are. From the truthful, it’s a few 10-minute drive to the historic and much-photographed Porter-Parsonsfield Covered Bridge, in-built 1859.

95 Randall Ave., Houlton. houltonfair.org

Never been to Aroostook County, potato capital of the world? Here’s your probability. The Houlton Fair consists of chainsaw artwork, a Hula Hoop contest, a hay bale relay race, a donut-eating contest, a potato-picking contest and a demolition derby. Besides the numerous animals and farming reveals, there’s a large halfway with rides and video games.

36 Irving Green Road, North Waterford. waterfordworldsfair.org

This truthful is a superb instance of how folks in small cities can have huge concepts. The entire city of Waterford, north of Bridgton, has about 1,500 residents. Yet the farmers who began this truthful in 1852 had no qualms about placing “world” within the title. The truthful this 12 months consists of saddle horse, draft horse, steer and oxen reveals; pig scrambles; an vintage tractor pull; apple pie judging and classes on beekeeping. There will likely be demonstrations of woodlot expertise by by the Axe Women Loggers of Maine, and a girls skillet throwing contest. One origin story for the latter contends that again within the day, with the ability to precisely throw a skillet helped a girl maintain her husband in line.

515 Main St., Bangor. bangorstatefair.com

Maine is such an incredible state for festivals, it really has two state festivals, with each Bangor and Skowhegan claiming the title. There’s a little bit little bit of all the things right here, together with harness racing (horses pulling drivers in sulkies), wrestling, a demolition derby, truck pulls, an ice cream-eating contest, baking contests and an enormous number of cattle and demos. The truthful makes use of a picture of legendary lumberjack Paul Bunyan as a part of its emblem, so whereas on the town, take a look at the 31-foot-tall statue of him on Main Street.

175 Fairgrounds Lane, Union. unionfair.org

Got blueberries? The Union Fair can also be residence to the annual Maine Wild Blueberry Festival. The tidy little city and its blueberry-covered hills are only a 20-minute drive from Camden. There will likely be numerous sorts of blueberry pie and blueberry baked items contests. A Blueberry Queen will likely be topped, to signify the wild blueberry trade for the approaching 12 months.

32 Community Way, Topsham. topshamfair.org

Just throughout the Androscoggin River from Brunswick, Tophsam’s truthful dates to the 1850s. There’s harness racing, truck pulling, a demolition derby, baking contests, wooden carving demos, ox pulling, and goat milking. There’s additionally a halfway and dwell leisure, together with Maine’s favourite funk band, Motor Booty Affair, Aug. 11 at 7 p.m.

33 Constitution Ave., Skowhegan. skowheganstatefair.com

It’s exhausting to seek out an older truthful, as this one started in 1819 as a showcase for the Somerset Central Agricultural Society. That’s so way back, Maine was nonetheless a part of Massachusetts. Some of the scheduled highlights this 12 months embrace demolition derbies, tractor pulls, drag racing, harness racing, a halfway with rides and livestock exhibitions. The full schedule will likely be out later in the summertime on the truthful’s web site.

77 Fairview Ave., Dover-Foxcroft. piscataquisvalleyfair.com

If you missed the Maine Whoopie Pie Festival, held on June 13 this 12 months, right here’s one more reason to go to Dover-Foxcroft. The schedule for this 12 months’s truthful isn’t out but, however final 12 months’s version included an AC/DC cowl band, a pie contest, a halfway, “Animal Land,” milking demos, steer and oxen pulling, skillet throwing, a pig scramble and a cornhole match. This 12 months’s Miss Maple pageant will likely be on Aug. 29.

550 Route 109, Acton. actonfair.net

Take a summer time drive to the lake. This small York County city on the New Hampshire border is surrounded by ponds and lakes, and the fairgrounds is simply steps from Mousam Lake. The truthful includes a rabbit barn, dairy barn, a automobile present, worm composting for learners, pig calling, “wee wee” pig racing, milking demos, music and extra. You may expertise “the sweet smell of success” by enjoying cow patty bingo. Yes, it’s simply what it feels like.

82 Ridge Road, Windsor. windsorfair.com

One of the highlights of this 12 months’s truthful is the live performance Sept. 5 by nationally-known nation artist Chris Cagle, who had a number of hits on nation radio stations within the early 2000s. His track “I Breathe In, I Breathe Out” was primary on the nation charts. The remainder of the truthful’s schedule isn’t on-line but, however final 12 months’s occasions included a large pumpkin contest, harness racing, a halfway, a pig scramble and a demolition derby. There’s additionally often a woodsman’s area day, the place lumberjacks showcase expertise like cross-cut sawing, felling timber and log rolling.