Fryeburg Fair

I love the Fryeburg Fair — apple crisp, sausages, llamas, specialty food pavilion, onion rings, goats, bunnies, Christmas trees, people watching, games, apple cider, chickens, ducks, maple barn. Costs $ 11 to get in, I think it is worth it.
Just make sure you park where you can get in and out early, the traffic can get crazy.

Hadn’t been to the Fryeburg Fair in a few years and was disappointed in it this year. Just didn’t have that much to see.

I have been going to the Fryeburg Fair since I was a kid, so for about 30 years. It’s always been one of the best fairs around (there are A LOT of fairs in Maine and NH) with so many animals, decent rides, great expos, vendors and food.
I will say that I was a little disappointed this year in a few things. The price for rides is really expensive. Tickets are $ 1 each and some of the bigger rides for the older kids (ages 8+) are 6 tickets per ride, so it would cost $ 6 to ride one ride. That’s completely outrageous. A sheet of 40 tickets was $ 25 (so $ 0.62 per ticket) and you can get on less than 8 rides for that. Seems a bit overprices for fair rides. I suggest going on a day when you can get a bracelet for $ 20 (check their website) and ride unlimited rides. We purchased our 2 year old a $ 15 bracelet which he could use on the kiddie rides, but only until 6pm (seriously?). If a parent wants to assist their child on a ride, the parents must buy a single ticket (example, the merry go round which doesn’t have seat belts or the large slide). I think this is an obnoxious policy. I’m not going on the ride for my enjoyment, I’m going on for the safety of my child so he doesn’t fall, hit his head and you have to shut down the ride and wait for an ambulance. Please Fryeburg Fair, stop this greedy practice.
Games are the standard price of $ 3, which I also think is overpriced. It was $ 1 when I was a kid (a carnie actually ARGUED this with me when I mentioned it to my brother in coversation). I just think paying $ 12 for a family of 4 to play a 30 second water gun game is silly. Especially when the prizes are just ugly stuffed animals.
The animals, as usual, were beautiful. So many to see, very well taken care of, you could see the pride in the faces of their caretakers. We saw pigs, goats, sheep, horses, oxen, cows. My toddler was delighted to see all of them in person.
There was some great live music being played. Really good vendors, we bought a few things while there. Prices were good and most items were of good quality.
Lots of good machinary to look at and inquire about. Spoke with a really nice man about purchasing a new, zero turn lawn mower.
There were an insane amount of food stands to choose from. Anything you could have wanted was there. Unfortuntaely I got the worst steak and cheese of my life — they used pump nacho cheese (DISGUSTING) on it. So ask before you order. I didn’t because I never would have imagined someone using nacho cheese on a steak and cheese sub. We also ordered a $ 9 lemonade where it said the refills were $ 5. When we went back for a refill they charged us another $ 9, saying that the $ 5 refills were for the «other» lemonade. I took a photo of the sign to show to the fair front office because they were definitely tricking people into buying their lemonade.
Overall, this was an okay fair. It’s declined since I was a child, but it seems everything has. We would go back, but would make sure that we go on the days in which we can buy all the kids a bracelet for the rides.

I’m a little disappointed in the fair this year… There were not too many rides at all. The only reason I’m even giving it three stars is there were such amazing animals to check out and they all were taken such good care of. That was the best part of the entire fair!
There is just not enough fair rides… That was always one of the best thing at the fair to do!

As fairs go, it’s as good as it gets! Eat French fries (Stan’s), fried corn on the cob, and apple crisp with vanilla ice cream (Conway Congregational Church)!!!
Go to the specialty foods pavilion and buy garlic dill hotties (pickles) from Above the Dam Jams.

What do I love about the Fryeburg Fair?
What do I NOT love about the Fryeburg Fair?!
I love the time of year it’s held. I love its consistency and reliability; a) vendors always seem to be in the same place year in and year out, b) a pig scramble is a pig scramble regardless of the generation scrambling!, c) there has been and always will be neighbors competing to see who can grow the best tomato. I love its effortless ability to breakdown class; that in a time when our economy isn’t thriving, regardless of socioeconomic status, folks every corner of the state (and beyond) come out to this fair. I love that despite the fact that it draws in more than 300,000 people, I can feel anonymous for a few hours. I love the way it ties in our history to our future. I love that it’s not all about the coast (while our state has a lot of that, it’s got a whole lot else going on, too). I love that it has a frozen-​moment-​in-​time feel to it.
And I love that it’s all about Maine, my favorite place in the entire world.
It’s mind-​boggling that the Fryeburg Fair (Maine’s Blue Ribbon Classic) was — in theory — started in March of 1851 when some farmers and craftsmen decided to show off some of their animals and goods to locals. It’s grown into something so much more epic! And I am happy to be a part of that every year.
What’s your «perfect fair experience»? Everyone has one. And for some, it becomes ritualistic. Year after year they come back to the Fryeburg Fair for the same specific things. I’m one of those people. I:
— Show up at 8am the first Sunday
— Grab a hot apple cider and cinnamon roll (and wonder if there’s a place I can just get a breakfast sandwich at instead)
— Watch a couple hours of the Firemen’s Muster (man, I love the wet hose competition!)
— Cuddle the goats (feed them hay, talk to them…)
— Purchase peanut butter goats milk fudge (but never enough)
— Spend too much time in the rabbit area talking myself out of buying one
— Laugh along with the ducks
— Realize how small I am near the Clydesdales
— Feed the sheep and wish they loved me as much as the goats did
— Find the three or four kids sleeping curled up against their pet cows (wishing I was them)
— Swine? Nah, I’m good.
— Get a slice of Sunflower Farms Pizza (black olive and garlic with extra garlic powder)
— Buy a Diet Moxie at the Blooming Onion vendor next door (because I now have garlic breath)
— Expo: Natural Resource Center (so… much… wooden… everything)
— Expo: Specialty Foods Pavilion (samples? YES PLEASE!)
— Expo: Craft Center (people are so darn talented, aren’t they?)
— Expo: Agricultural Exhibit (WHAT’S THIS?! CUPCAKE JUDGING. They really oughta let me help them on this one…)
— Expo: Garden Center (getting kinda sleepy at this point)
— Expo: Farm Museum (lolz it says «Tool Shed»)
— Visit the sugarhouse just to inhale the delicious smell; realize it’s too early for maple anything then promptly leave)
— Attempt to visit Old McDonalds; realize I don’t love kids and promptly run away from the area
— Take in a Dairy Goat Judging Competition instead where it seems everyone gets a Blue Ribbon while playing with the idea of potentially getting some hot blueberry crisp with vanilla ice cream. But I’m so full, and I’ve already spent a ton of money, and I don’t need the calories, and…
— Get hot blueberry crisp with vanilla ice cream
— Start walking back to my car, but stop to see the now very exhausted goats one last time
— Say goodbye to the no longer laughing ducks
— Visit that one rabbit I wish I could take home, but has already been sold
— Have a very sleepy ride home
To me? That’s my perfect Blue Ribbon fair.
Happy Fryeburg Fair!

Always a good time at the Fair