HARMONY — The Harmony Labor Day Free Fair opens Friday for four days of fun, food and a whole lot more.
Fair attractions include a demolition derby, a doodle bug pull, agricultural displays, midway rides, oxen and draft horse events, a pie auction, fireworks, old tractors, a fiddlers’ contest, a parade on Monday morning and live music, including The Honkeytonkers, who are on their 20-year reunion tour.
As it has been for 71 years, admission to the fair is free, and so is parking.
This year’s fair program book is dedicated to Angie Knapp, a role model for community involvement in the town of Harmony.
The Patriarchs Club sponsors the fair. The nonprofit club was formed in 1947 as a volunteer community betterment group. Its first project was construction of a gymnasium for the Harmony School. To fund the project, the club held the first Harmony Labor Day Free Fair in 1948. Over the years, the club has contributed money for the purchase of the town’s first firetruck, construction of the recreation park, and the acquisition of Harmony’s first and second ambulances.
Entries for the fair’s Home and Garden Show in the Exhibition Hall are to be submitted from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday. Categories include garden produce, fruits, flowers and herbs, canned foods, baked goods and crafts. The midway opens at 5 p.m. Friday, followed by music by Friday Night Jammers and a truck pull and cribbage tournament, both at 7 p.m.
The Kavanaugh Amusements midway will operate throughout the fair. Again this year, a ride mega-bracelet good for all four days of the fair will be offered for $35. Single-day bracelets also will be available, for $18 on Friday and $20 Saturday and Sunday.
Audrey Bemis, a Patriarchs Club trustee, said in an email to the Morning Sentinel that many fairgoers like the fair’s new food pavilion, which was made possible by community donations.
“A covered seating area allows patrons to relax in the shade and enjoy burgers, hot dogs, dynamites, French fries and more,” Bemis said. “New picnic tables have been added to the grounds this year, greatly increasing seating capacity.”
The fair continues Saturday, Sunday and Monday with a youth livestock show, sheep dog demonstrations, a frog jumping contest, volleyball, a horseshoe tournament, live music and an adult arm-wrestling contest at 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Registration is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
This year’s fair features new starting times for two popular events. The demolition derby starts at 1 p.m. Saturday, and the doodlebug pull gets underway at 3:30 p.m. Sunday.
Fireworks by Central Maine Pyrotechnics are scheduled for Sunday night.
The Tractor Rodeo returns on Monday with a new event this year called Chain in a Box, in which a 3-foot-square-shaped box is placed on the ground, while the driver of the tractor goes back and forth over the box until all the chain is inside. The driver will be timed, and the one with the shortest time will be the winner.
For a complete listing of events go to harmonyfreefair.weebly.com.
This year the Grand Prize drawing has been expanded. As in the past, the top prize is a Husqvarna 450 chain saw donated by Morrison’s Garage.
The second prize will be $100 cash, and additionally a third prize of $100 cash will be drawn. Over 40 other prizes also will be awarded, and they will be on display at the prize ticket booth near the entrance to the fairgrounds. Tickets are available at the booth and also at Morrison’s Garage before the fair.
Doug Harlow — 612-2367
Twitter:@Doug_Harlow
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