City: Coastal Maine, ME

Category: Annual Events & Festivals

Description: One of the most beloved of all of Maine’s summer shindigs, the Common Ground Fair takes place on the third weekend of September every year. People mark that date on their calendars and keep it open at all costs, to be sure they can attend— for many, it’s the highlight of the year. What’s there to love? The fair is a celebration of rural life, born in the late 1970s, a time when Waldo County had seen a large influx of countercultural types interested in moving “back to the land.” They moved to the country, set up farms, and learned by doing, getting together in September to share ideas and the harvest. That’s still what the fair is about today, but it has grown and grown and attracts 60,000 fairgoers every year, most of whom are no longer farmers.Hosted by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, the fair has many goals but a core few stand out. First, it’s organic through and through (all vendors sell organic foods—they don’t even allow coffee to be sold on-site), it’s all about sustainability, and it places a premium on community and sharing. Held at MOFGA’s own farm in Unity, the event features new activities every year, but much remains the same. There’s always great food, with scores of booths selling everything from Indian curry to the old favorite, turkey dinners from the free-range Turkey Farm in New Sharon. Acres of tents are filled with the wares of Maine country craftsmen and women, many of whom elevate their work to the level of art—there are always remarkable jewelers, canoe builders, and sweater makers—as well as political action booths. There are also stages on which bands play and people dance. Speechifying happens on the Common, usually by progressive activists the likes of Jim Hightower; there’s the ever popular Parade of Vegetables, which kids love, and there are several days’ worth of agricultural workshops and demonstrations.Big crowds gather to see border collies herd sheep, hear talks about small woodlot forestry, pat the animals in the barns, and file through the displays of award-winning fruits and vegetables. Perhaps best of all, people are constantly bumping into friends and family. The Common Ground Country Fair is like your average state fair run by tasteful ex-hippies—and that’s definitely a good thing. If you leave the fair without feeling warm and fuzzy and wanting to simplify your life, you have issues. The fair is about a half hour drive from Belfast on Route 137, but it’s well worth it, and people commonly drive from out of state to attend. For more information, call (207) 568-4142 or visit www.mofga.org.