For 27 years, Bethel artist Jewel Clark has been the steady hand behind nearly every painted sign at the Fryeburg Fairgrounds — hundreds of them, all in her signature style.
As a child, “I used to be afraid of fairs and carnival people,” she says with a laugh. “Now, I love it here.”
She’s part of the fabric now, waving from a lift as she stencils, “Garden Center” onto an expanded building that faces South Main Street. Nearby, she greets familiar faces — “Hollywood” the fair’s roofer and “King” Roy Andrews, self proclaimed skunk master — while ‘making up songs’ and singing as she works.
“She’s become a pretty important person around here. She’s part of the Fryeburg Fair family. She does not only painting, but she entertains us. In the old days you could hear her yodeling up there all by herself on the staging,” said Fryeburg Fair Trustee and Former President Andrews.
Clark is the solo artist behind the fair’s iconic signs that stand out against brilliant white buildings, prepping the grounds for this year’s event, which runs Sept. 28 to Oct. 5. Some signs are new; others get touch-ups. A few last 20 years or more. Others fade quickly — especially anything red. “Depends which way they face. And the weather,” she shrugs. Then, with a smile: “The harsh weather is job security.”
Each building bears a number: the year it was built, and how much it cost. They believe knowing the cost gives people a sense of ownership, explains Andrews.
She takes pride in little details. A cramped “a” in the word “station” once bothered her so much she repainted the whole sign. “I like it to look the best it can. I’m happiest when I’m being creative.”
Her wit is brushed into her work: “We talk ox and a little bull,” reads one sign. Over the hen house, she painted, “You don’t need a rooster to get eggs. But you do need a rooster to get chicks.” At the swine barn, tiny piglets are parentheses for the text.
In 2003, while painting “The Milking Parlor,” she was also writing a song for a friend who had died. “I’m always writing songs in my head,” she says. In 2019 fair president Andrews to ask her to write one about the fair.
“It’s the hokiest, corniest thing,” she says — and immediately bursts into the song:
Horses everywhere, might see ’em pull,
Might see ’em show or race around the track,
And if you bet some money, you could win a lot more back!
She performs every year on the Friday of fair week with longtime friend and former sign painter Donnie Katlin. Together, they play originals, rock ’n’ roll, and old country favorites.
She follows in a long line of fairground painters: Ed Mills of Fryeburg held the job for 62 years. After him came Terry Swett of North Bridgton, then Katlin, who took over in 1998 — the year Clark joined the team. Her early inspiration came from West Paris artist Mickey Liimatta.
The fair draws crowds from all 50 states and 21 countries. Now in its 175th year, it’s a legacy Clark is proud to be part of.
When she once asked Roy Andrews how long she’d be painting signs at the fair, he smiled and said, “Oh no. You don’t ever get done.”
Her song ends with a line that, except for the date, could easily describe her own story:
Born in 1851, still around and going strong,
Here in Western Maine each fall — come along, let’s have a ball!
