Maine's Agricultural Fair Season is officially underway, beginning last week with the Maple Meadow Fair Festival in Mapleton and extending into October when Maine holds its largest Fair, the Fryeburg Fair. Maine has twenty-six licensed fairs that take place over the summer and fall, offering visitors opportunities to learn more about agriculture and the communities they take place in.

This year, fairs will be celebrated in a new series of farm-to-fair videos featuring behind the scenes stories of fair participants. They are part of a collaborative effort between the Department and several fair exhibitors to highlight the work and care that goes into traditional activities offered at Maine fairs. 

The new series of farm-to-fair videos:

4-H Show Cattle - https://youtu.be/V1mEqgZY_Pc
Ox Pulling - https://youtu.be/cbACUKIzoNE
Horse Pulling - https://youtu.be/9UhalPxu6wE
Harness Racing - https://youtu.be/OPuOZSGf_AI
Barrel Racing - https://youtu.be/MfwMn9tddW8

Quick Facts about Maine’s 2016 Fair Season:

• Maine has 26 licensed fairs
• 760,000 people visited Maine fairs in 2015
• $1.65 Million in premiums were paid to exhibitors, directly impacting local economies
• Most northern fair: Northern Maine Fair – Presque Isle, ME
• Most southern fair: Acton Fair – Acton, ME
• Largest fair: Fryeburg Fair (205,000+ visitors)
• 2,500+ pairs of professional cattle and horses pulled
• 23,000+ crafts projects were displayed in exhibit halls 

The full schedule is available at: http://www.mainefairs.org/fairs.html

Additional information on Maine’s agricultural fairs can be found at:http://www.getrealmaine.com/     

The State of Maine would like to remind its citizens and visitors that firewood originating from another state is banned from entering Maine, unless it is accompanied by a treatment certificate of label from a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) qualified treatment facility.  See full details of the ban.  This ban is essential for protecting Maine's forest resources and the trees in our communities from harmful invasive insects that live in firewood.  In addition, state quarantines, such as the Gypsy Moth Quarantine, restricts the movement of firewood within the state.

If anyone suspects firewood is being transported into Maine from another state, please call one of the following numbers to report the vehicle:

Southern Region: Bolton Hill, Augusta: (207) 624-3700
Central Region: Old Town: (207) 827-1800
Northern Region: Ashland: (207) 435-7963

Purple traps for emerald ash borer detection are starting to be deployed in select areas across the state.  This year, a contract company called Delta-21 is deploying and servicing these traps.  If you have any questions about a trap, or notice one may be down, you can contact the company directly, (877) 207-9406.