Common Ground Country Fair
The Common Ground Country Fair is a fair in Unity, Maine sponsored by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA). The fair began in 1977 in Litchfield, Maine. In 1981, it moved to Windsor, Maine and in 1996, MOFGA purchased 200 acres in Unity, Maine, where the fair now takes places yearly. The fair "celebrates organic living, farming and growing," and all the food sold at the event must be organic. The fair regularly hosts 50,000 to 60,000 people.
The fair is also host to a large number of political groups and activists. In 2009, there were 64 political or social activism groups in attendance.
In 2008, MOFGA installed water bottle filling stations to test the viability of banning the sale of bottled water. The test run was deemed a success and the sale and use of bottled water was banned the following year.
For the first time in 2017, the fair will be powered by all alternative sources, including a 102-kilowatt solar array, a series of heat pumps and a small wind turbine.
The fair doesn't have a midway or race track. It features traditional skills demonstrations, alternative energy demonstrations, handicraft vendors, two farmers markets and two food courts, selling a range of organic, prepared foods. The fair is known for its numerous vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options.
In 2012, The New York Times wrote a profile of the fair and reported: "The fair is a grand celebration not only for organic growers, but also for spinners and weavers; woodworkers and jewelry-makers; drovers of oxen, horses and mules; and sheep herders and their dogs. Not to mention poets and fiddlers, reflexologists and herbalists, solar and wind power gurus, seed savers and worm-keepers." The Times also noted: "It wasn’t the toasty smell of cotton candy that filled the air; it was the fruity fragrance of sweet Annie, a European herb that can self-seed in the garden like an invading army. Women old and young wore golden crowns of it on their heads. "
Coordinates: 44°35′24″N 69°17′28″W / 44.590°N 69.291°W
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