The Common Ground Fair

[reinbeau]

This coming Friday (September 19) is the start of The Common Ground Fair up in Unity, Maine. It is always the third weekend in September.

This fair is awesome for anyone and everyone into self sufficient living, growing your own, raising your own, woodlot management, bees, chickens, alpacas, mules, you name it, it's up there. DH was going through the schedule tonight circling things we're going to try to catch. Unfortunately some things are at the same time, so I have to choose, it's tough to choose!

At 11 am on Friday there's Raising Guinea Fowl and Lavender Through the Ages. I'm choosing the Lavender, I'd like to raise guinea fowl but that won't be for awhile. I'm a abit of an herbalist, and I got great info on raising lavender last year up there, so that looks really interesting.

At 2 pm there's a seminar on Controlling American Foulbrood in Bees w/o Antibiotics, lead by Ross Conrad, of Natural Beekeeping fame.

At 3 pm There a Chainsaw Safety & Directional Felling seminar Greg wants to check out.

On Saturday Greg has selected something on Monolithic Heated Slab Foundations at 11 am.

At noon there's Herbal Support for Menopause - boy, do I need that one right now!

Then at 3 there's a Homebrewing thing he wants to check out.

Finally at 4 there's Backyard Chicken Basics, I really want to see that.

I am leaving out just so much. How to have a Family Cow, Get Answers to your Organic Vegetable Questions, Growing Plums in Maine, Making Sourdough Bred in a Wood Fired Oven, Eating Local, Dowsing, Sharpening the European Scythe Blade, All About Mules, Goat Milking Demo....ok, I'll stop now, but here's a link to the schedule if you want to see what I mean.

Plus there are great vendors, great livestock to check out, they have a nice poultry show, good food, nice people all around, plus some really nice music, if you're into bluegrass/folk/fiddling, etc.

Any chance anyone here will be up there? It would be neat to meet up! If not, then think about it for next year - it's well worth the trip!

 

[me&thegals]

Wish I could be there!! Wonder if they do anything like this in WI?

 

[the simple life]

Hi Ann,
I am thinking of going up there this weekend depending on Bill's work schedule, how long is the ride from us?

 

[VT-Chicklit]

Hi reinbeau The hubby and I will be going over to Ellsworth ME, on Friday to visit with his parents. We will be there for several days and, thanks to your post, have decided to go to the Fair on Saturday. I went to their web site and it seems like it will be a lot of fun. From every thing they have schedualed, it sounds like a large fair. Have you ever attended? We have the Champlain Valley Fair here in the valley. I use to enjoy going to it until it became very commercalized, I hope this is less commercal

 

[FarmerChick]

way to far for me being in the south now.
that fair sounds wonderful and you surely will enjoy all that is on the schedule!! Have a blast!!

I love just the local county fairs. They do such a good job with them now...so many exhibits, rides, 4-H and all. I love it! We have the Cleveland County Fair coming the last of Sept/ first of Oct. Definitely going!
Have fun !!

 

[punkin]

That sounds like alot of fun. I hope you learn a bunch. You know you will just haaaaave to post anything interesting so those of us who are a gazzilion miles away can learn something, too.

 

[ticks]

This coming Friday (September 19) is the start of The Common Ground Fair up in Unity, Maine. It is always the third weekend in September.

This fair is awesome for anyone and everyone into self sufficient living, growing your own, raising your own, woodlot management, bees, chickens, alpacas, mules, you name it, it's up there. DH was going through the schedule tonight circling things we're going to try to catch. Unfortunately some things are at the same time, so I have to choose, it's tough to choose!

At 11 am on Friday there's Raising Guinea Fowl and Lavender Through the Ages. I'm choosing the Lavender, I'd like to raise guinea fowl but that won't be for awhile. I'm a abit of an herbalist, and I got great info on raising lavender last year up there, so that looks really interesting.

At 2 pm there's a seminar on Controlling American Foulbrood in Bees w/o Antibiotics, lead by Ross Conrad, of Natural Beekeeping fame.

At 3 pm There a Chainsaw Safety & Directional Felling seminar Greg wants to check out.

On Saturday Greg has selected something on Monolithic Heated Slab Foundations at 11 am.

At noon there's Herbal Support for Menopause - boy, do I need that one right now!

Then at 3 there's a Homebrewing thing he wants to check out.

Finally at 4 there's Backyard Chicken Basics, I really want to see that.

I am leaving out just so much. How to have a Family Cow, Get Answers to your Organic Vegetable Questions, Growing Plums in Maine, Making Sourdough Bred in a Wood Fired Oven, Eating Local, Dowsing, Sharpening the European Scythe Blade, All About Mules, Goat Milking Demo....ok, I'll stop now, but here's a link to the schedule if you want to see what I mean.

Plus there are great vendors, great livestock to check out, they have a nice poultry show, good food, nice people all around, plus some really nice music, if you're into bluegrass/folk/fiddling, etc.

Any chance anyone here will be up there? It would be neat to meet up! If not, then think about it for next year - it's well worth the trip!

That sounds great!
Vermont is so close, but still very far away. :/

 

[reinbeau]

Hi Ann,
I am thinking of going up there this weekend depending on Bill's work schedule, how long is the ride from us?

Natalie, that would be so great to meet up there! It's about 3 1/2 hours up. When are you planning on going? We're leaving at around 5 am and should get there before the rush - Friday is the first day, since it's a weekday there are quite a few local schools that bus kids in there for the day, so traffic can be a bit fun, but we'll get there for the opening at 9 am. We're staying overnight up in Newport in a nice little motel we found, and then we'll be there again on Saturday morning. I want to see that Backyard Chickens thing at 4 pm, we'll be leaving then to go stay at the house in Lebanon. Let me know what your plans are, I was hoping you guys would want to go!

By the way, there's quite a few members of the Bee Club going, some go every year like we do. We'll run into them somehow, too!

Hi reinbeau The hubby and I will be going over to Ellsworth ME, on Friday to visit with his parents. We will be there for several days and, thanks to your post, have decided to go to the Fair on Saturday. I went to their web site and it seems like it will be a lot of fun. From every thing they have schedualed, it sounds like a large fair. Have you ever attended? We have the Champlain Valley Fair here in the valley. I use to enjoy going to it until it became very commercalized, I hope this is less commercal

Yes, we've gone every year now for seven years, I absolutely love this fair. Believe me, there is nothing commercial about this fair - well, in the normal fair sense, that is. There's absolutely no midway. There are things for the kids, but it's hayrides pulled by oxen, face painting, there's a children's parade, I'm sure there's more for kids but since I don't have them anymore I'm not familiar with that aspect There are lots of vendors, but it's mostly local Maine stuff (although there's one tent with some pretty high-end stuff in it, we look but we don't buy much). But mostly it's about alternative energy, building, living, organic gardening, then there's the political stuff, it's really interesting what you can find up there. There's a huge farmer's market, where you can buy all manner of produce and locally produced Maine products - don't miss the Painted Pepper booth, they sell this goat milk yogurt to die for! There's also a great indoor agricultural display/competition, a huge fleece tent for those who like spinning and weaving - I'm still leaving out lots of what's up there.

I hope to see all of you up there. I don't know how we'll coordinate, but if you want to and we're all there on Saturday, we could meet up, maybe by the MOFGA's Country Store.

 

[the simple life]

I will find out what his work schedule is and how we can do this. I would love to go.
I was thinking about it the other day and was wondering if I already missed it.
I had to miss the Brimfield Antique show this year too, we have had so much going on this month with getting all the kids off to school and the older girls back to college.
I would love to be able to make the fair.
I'll let you know.