A fun-filled day at the Maine Common Ground Fair: food, crafts, art, agricultural and livestock exhibits, demos and presentations.
A Day at the Maine Common Ground Fair
The Maine Common Ground Country Fair is an annual event held in the small town of Unity, Maine in mid-September.
Organized by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) , it focuses on organic farming, sustainability, and rural living.
The fair features a variety of activities, including workshops, demonstrations, local crafts and art, agricultural and livestock exhibits, and food vendors emphasizing organic and locally sourced products.
There is also live music and fun activities for families, making it a vibrant celebration of Maine’s agricultural heritage and community spirit.
The Common Ground Fair is not just for farmers or homesteaders, though.
In fact you don’t even have to call Maine home to enjoy the festivities! My sisters planned their visit to Maine this year specifically so that we could go to the fair last Friday.
Think of it more as classic country fair, but with a focus on organic living and sustainability.
Find out for yourself what it’s all about, and join me and my sisters for a fun-filled day at the Maine Common Ground Fair!
Getting There
Meet us at the fair!
The only way to get there is by car. (Or bicycle, horse, or on foot if you start early, I suppose…)
Unity is located in central Maine, about a 1 3/4- hour drive from Portland.
But leave some time for traffic.
Not words I find myself saying frequently here in Maine.
Approaching the fairground, though, you are driving on local roads, which were not designed to accommodate the volume of fair traffic.
I think it took us about 30 minutes to go the last couple of miles this year.
As we inched along in the car, I started to feel my ingrained D.C.-area parking panic start to set in. We arrived at around 11:30. And while we were parked close to the road, there were still plenty of spaces available. Phew!
Be aware that all parking is in a field!
And that there is quite a long walk from the parking to the fair. It is mostly along a lovely wooded path, though, which I always enjoy.
There is apparently a shuttle that runs from the parking to the fair, but once at the fair there is still a lot of walking on unpaved ground. My 90-year old dad and his friend did not join us that day. It would have been way too much for them.
To avoid some of the traffic there is also a train that runs from a location in Unity and one from nearby Thorndike. You can learn more about the train here.
Food
Let’s head first to the food stands!
Because that is probably my favorite part of the fair.
And because I am hungry after the drive!
I have talked numerous times about my difficulty finding vegetarian food when I eat out here in Maine.
Well, that is not an issue at the Common Ground Fair.
They have the usual rows of food trucks and stands you will find at any big fair.
Except the focus here is on local and organic foods, and definitely heavy on the veg!
Think tofu fries and seaweed salad.
Grilled Mediterranean eggplant.
Vegan pad thai and egg rolls.
Empanadas with carrot salsa.
Indian food and Asian rice bowls.
Burritos, pizza, and tacos.
For those who enjoy meat, poultry, and fish, don’t fret! There were Italian sausage sandwiches, oysters, lamb shawarma, jerk chicken, burgers, fish tacos. And, of course, lobster rolls.
For dessert there are pie cones, maple fried dough, vegan cheesecake, and chocolate cake.
For lunch my sisters and I split some falafel pita sandwiches, egg rolls, and shiitake mushroom fries.
At the end of the day before leaving we had some wild Maine blueberry crisp. Yum!
What would you choose?!
There are also farmers markets at both entrances to the fair, where you can purchase fresh produce, flowers, maple syrup, pickled veggies, and more!
I bought two bouquets of dried flowers for my dining room mantel (sharing soon!) and a jar of Ginger Carrot Kraut.
One vendor had some bourbon maple syrup that seriously tempted me. My sisters picked up some maple sugar candies.
Local Crafts and Art
Let’s go next to another favorite area of mine — the huge Fine Crafts and Art Market tent.
There are so many talented artists and makers in Maine and New England in general. I love finding special handmade items and meeting the person who crafted them.
For the home there was pottery, baskets, turned wood items, dishtowels, and so much incredible artwork.
And personal accessories included jewelry, clothing, knitwear, and more that I can’t remember.
I purchased a tall basket with a glass insert for flowers or kitchen utensils. One of my sisters got me a block printed dishtowel with a mussel shell pattern. And the other bought me a hand-turned wooden French rolling pin. (We all had birthday and Christmas shopping to do…)
In another Maine maker’s section I picked up two birthday gifts for my daughter-in-law. I can’t share what they are in case she reads this post! But they are good!!
Agricultural and Livestock Exhibits
It wouldn’t be a country fair if there weren’t agricultural and livestock exhibits.
I always like to give the animals a visit. (Though as a vegetarian, I don’t necessarily like to think about the ultimate fate that awaits some of them…)
The goats are my favorite. Particularly the angora, with their curly shags.
For the last few years there have been no poultry exhibits at the fair due to the elevated risk of Avian Influenza in Maine.
And, even though I don’t have a veggie garden, I always enjoy a visit to the exhibition hall, where Maine farmers and gardeners display the fruits, veggies, and blooms of their labor.
This year we marveled at the many kinds of tomatoes, the shiitake mushrooms growing on a log, the giant romanesco zucchini, bouquets of beautiful kale and chard, rainbow peppers, soft-hued eggs, and fat pumpkins.
Fresh veggies just make me happy!
In another part of the fair, my sister Lissa enjoyed the Maine heritage orchard Pear and Apple ID tent. She was trying to identify the tart little apples that grow on the scraggly tree in my yard.
Presentations, Demos, and Displays
While I mostly enjoy the food, crafts, animals, and veggie exhibits at the Fair, there are also educational presentations, demos, and displays on a wide range of topics related to organic farming, sustainability, and rural living.
You can check out everything from European scythes and compost worms and bins to wood-burning pizza ovens and chicken coops.
On Friday alone there were presentations and demos on:
Mite Treatments for Healthy Hives.
Green Cemeteries, Home Funerals, & More.
Reverse Wrap Weaving with Natural Fibers.
Beginners Guide to Going Off Grid.
Goat Hoof Trimming
The Basics of Breeding Your Own Pigs
History of Draft Horse Breeds in America
Solar Cooking Demo
And so much more!
The one thing I was disappointed they did not have on Friday was the Sheep Dog Demo. I have so enjoyed watching these smart dogs doing their job in past years.
Common Ground Fair Merchandise
Before heading out, we must pay a visit to the Common Ground Fair merch tent. No day at the fair would be complete with out bringing home some souvenir Fair swag!
The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association hosts an annual contest to select that year’s unique custom poster design. They receive over 100 submissions from Maine and MOFGA-member artists hoping to have their artwork selected. After all, it will be featured on the Fair poster, website, promotional materials, and on Fair merchandise such as t-shirts and tote bags.
It is always fun to see what the year’s “theme” is!
Through the years there have been chickens, pigs, cows, a raven, and a goat. Garlic scapes, bee balm, peas, and swiss chard!
Everyone has their favorites.
And at the fair you can see people rocking t-shirts and sweatshirts from years past.
There was even a quilt displayed in the exhibition hall made out of different Fair t-shirts.
This year’s artwork was an owl perched on the branch of an apple tree.
I did some shopping in the merch tent for my daughter Leah to give as Christmas gifts, and one of my sisters bought me a t-shirt as a belated birthday present.
As the Common Ground is an organic- and sustainability-focused fair, the t-shirts are printed by Maine small business Liberty Graphics using water-based ink on organic cotton.
SIDE NOTE: We just happened to do some shopping at the Liberty Graphics t-shirt store in Camden the night before. They have some fabulous designs and happily have a whole line of women’s t-shirts. Yay! Say goodbye to too-long t-shirts with narrow hips and high necks! You can shop their t-shirts and tea towels online.
And you can shop this and some other year’s Common Ground Fair merchandise here!
This Week Into Next
Well, it is officially Fall.
And I can’t deny that it is really starting to look and feel like it.
I’m not mad about it, though.
I am ready to embrace the cozy nights and hot drinks. Cruciferous veggies, winter squash, and apples! Oatmeal in the morning. Soup at night. Blankets, sweaters, and warm socks.
I love my fading garden with its brown grasses, rose-hued limelights, and spent blooms, all set against a colorful backdrop of turning leaves.
This week I swapped out a few pillow covers in the living room. Added a wool plaid throw. Just the beginning of changes.
In the dining area, my sisters and I decorated the mantel and fireplace with dried flowers. I think I will share that next week!
And this weekend, I think it is time to get the pumpkins for my Great Pumpkin Wall.
A sure sign that fall is here!
Another fun fall festival, the Lucketts Fall Market will be taking place October 11-13 in Berryville, Virginia. Read all about my trip there last year in my blog post A Vintage Hip Day at the Lucketts Fall Market.
That’s it for this week.
Closing today with heartfelt thoughts for those affected by Helene. Such devastation.
Take good care, friends,
