The Common Ground Fair is put together every year by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardener’s Association (MOFGA), at their test farm in Unity. It’s pretty much an anti-fair. There are no rides, the food is all organic, and as locally grown as possible (and man is it good), and I don’t think I’ve ever seen an entire section of any other fair dedicated to political causes.
We’ve been going for a number of years now. We leave very early in the morning on Saturday to drive the twoish hours up to Unity, so we can get there plenty early. This gives us ample time to wonder around, check out the exhibits and craft tents, and then hit the food booths just as they’re opening. We leave after lunch, which is just about the time that everyone else is showing up. It’s so lovely to drive away from the fair past a three mile traffic backup, knowing that we’ve already thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, and will have most of the day left when we get home.
Highlights this year were watching spinning directly off of the angora rabbits, wandering around the test farm plots, the really lovely fair food, sampling the beans from the bean pit that had been going from the day before, a stop to see the newest creations from a landscape quilt artist that does some amazing work, and stocking up on the very best organic garlic in the known world, courtesy of the Little Garlic Girl Farm.
The other highlight of the day is getting inland, and seeing the advancing color. It’s still in isolated patches even around there, but it’s lovely to see the changing season.