Why We Love Fryeburg Fair

The Fryeburg Fair in Fryeburg, Maine has been around since 1851 and while our family hasn't been going quite that long, it is long-standing tradition to go every year and we love it.  Why is it so great?  Well let me share why we love it so much.  

History

In our technology-driven world today, it's easy to take for granted things like power tools, heavy machinery, grocery stores, and easily accessible information.  But back in the day, everything you owned and everything you ate came from your own two hands.  If you couldn't build it, grow it, or fix it you weren't going to make it.  Ingenuity and hard work is what you survived on.  

At Fryeburg, they do a wonderful job showcasing and honoring the past with great museums full of old tools, working "one-lunger" engines that can run anything from an apple sauce maker to a wood splitter, Loretta's Kitchen (a working old-fashioned kitchen), blacksmiths, and more.  

In the event you see kids carrying around a length of heavy chain at the fair, don't worry - they didn't break out of jail. The blacksmiths have a great tradition of making a chain link for kids when they come to the fair and every year they can add another link to their chain.

Livestock

What's a fair without animals?  Well you're in luck, because Fryeburg has lots.  Horses, oxen, dairy and meat cows, chickens of all kinds, goats, pigs, rabbits, and more.  It's always fun to see all the different types of animals and watch the competitions.  

This horse has a better hair than me. So not fair.

Entertainment

Throughout the week, there is always awesome live entertainment scattered throughout the grounds but a great perk of the fair is the headliner shows put on almost every evening.  These shows are often big names and admission is included with your entry fee to the fair that day (just get to the show early to claim a good seat).  

This year we saw Brothers Osborne play and it was a lot of fun to see a band you hear on the radio in person, just wish my cell phone took better photos from a distance ;)  

Brothers Osborne warming up.

Family (of course!)

The biggest thing we love about the fair is spending time with loved ones and seeing our little one enjoy and appreciate the animals, the fun, and the history (even if she might not understand it all just yet).  Both of our families come from a long line of farmers and woodsmen and that's a heritage we don't want to forget about.  

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