June 3, 1851: Ten towns incorporate the West Oxford Agricultural Society and establish an annual exhibition. They hold their first fair Oct. 23 in Hiram.

The event moves from town to town in its initial years but eventually settles permanently in the town of Fryeburg and becomes known as the Fryeburg Fair. It starts out at one site in 1858, then moves to its current location to accommodate growth on Oct. 4, 1885.
In modern times the fair lasts eight days on fairgrounds that include about 100 buildings on more than 180 acres.
Sixteen towns in Maine and six in New Hampshire collaborate to put on the fair. The fair hosts more than 3,000 animals, including draft horses, ponies, race horses, oxen, dairy and beef cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, poultry and rabbits. It employs about 600 people annually.
The Fryeburg Fair is held in the first week of October, and is the capstone event of the Maine fair season, which stretches from summer into fall and includes numerous weeklong fairs such as those in Blue Hill, Bangor and Skowhegan.
Presented by:

Joseph Owen is an author, retired newspaper editor and board member of the Kennebec Historical Society. Owen’s book, “This Day in Maine,” can be ordered at islandportpress.com. Joe can be contacted at: [email protected]
Send questions/comments to the editors.
-
Nation & World
At conservative conference, Trump is still the golden boy
-
Nation & World
Oath Keeper charged in Capitol riot renounces militia group
-
Politics
With House voting on relief bill, Democrats look to save minimum wage increase
-
Varsity Maine
Skiing: High school athletes grateful for a most unusual season
-
Varsity Maine
Brunswick, Morse track and field teams compete under unique circumstances
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi {SUB NAME}, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have one? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login to participate in the conversation. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.