UNITY — The Common Ground Country Fair is scheduled for Friday to Sunday, Sept. 23-25, at the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association’s Common Ground Education Center, at 294 Crosby Brook Road.

This year the fair has 66 different areas where fairgoers can engage in educational talks, demonstrations and performances. Farmers and gardeners can find a wide range of talks on topics such as urban beekeeping, growing figs in Maine and seed saving.

Families can experience a diversity of activities, from the iconic sheep dog demonstration to haystack jumping to the bike parade. There will be a dedicated space for holistic living, another for political advocacy, and another for do-it-yourself home hacks.

People can take in garden specimens of all kinds on display in the Exhibition Hall, including giant squash and vegetable oddities, home-baked goods and children’s apple pie competitions.

They can support Maine makers in the exhibitor tents and two farmers’ markets, and go home with handcrafted, one-of-a-kind art and Maine-produced food.

People also can work a volunteer shift. The fair wouldn’t happen without the support of thousands of volunteers helping to park cars, sorting through compost and recycling, working in the Country Store, and more, according to a news release from the association.

Those having a hard time deciding how to spend a day at the fair or want a pro tip, view and download example itineraries, or sign up to volunteer at the event; review all of the available volunteer shifts on MOFGA’s Vomo website mofga.vomo.org. In exchange for a four-hour shift, volunteers receive free admission that day, a classic fair T-shirt and a meal in the volunteer-powered Common Kitchen.

Advance tickets are on sale now through Wednesday, Sept. 21, at MOFGA’s website. Fairgoers will receive their tickets via email and can download them to a smartphone or print them out to be scanned at the gate. Fairgoers who do not have access to the internet can purchase tickets at The Maine Organic Marketplace in Freeport. Starting on Sept. 22, tickets are full price through the event.

For more information and a complete schedule, visit mofga.org/the-fair.

 

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