PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Organizers of the Northern Maine Fair are again seeking to change the event’s dates with the state government, although it remains uncertain whether the fair will be able to feature the long-time tradition of harness racing.
On Nov. 14, officials with the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry are holding another public hearing on a request from the Northern Maine Fair board to change the fair’s 2019 dates to June 28 to July 3. The fair has long been held the last week of July and first week of August, but organizers are trying to change the dates to keep using entertainment contractor Smokey’s Greater Shows, which is now booked for the 2019 Bangor State Fair for July 27-Aug. 5.
In mid-October, the DACF rejected the Northern Maine Fair’s request to change the dates to June 28 to July 6, which would have put it in direct competition with the Houlton Agricultural Fair traditionally held around the Independence Day holiday and slated for July 4-7, 2019.
The DACF licenses agriculture fairs within the state and awards selected dates, and the agency’s designated hearing officer concluded that the “Houlton Fair will be economically harmed if it has to compete with the NMF for three of its four dates.”
Now, Northern Maine Fair President Lynwood Winslow said the NMF board is seeking to hold the 2019 fair from June 28 to July 3, avoiding the direct overlap with Houlton.
“We dropped three days off,” Winslow said. “We feel that the department of ag should approve this. There shouldn’t be any conflict with anything.”
Houlton Fair President Paul Cleary, however, disputed that information. Cleary stated Monday that while the NMF is seeking to change its fair dates to end on July 3, it was his understanding that the midway attraction would continue to operate in Presque Isle for an additional three days afterward (July 4-6).
Cleary said, in his opinion, this move is simply a way of “skirting around” the state’s previous ruling.
“It’s just a backdoor way of them trying to get their (original) dates,” he said.
Winslow could not be reached Monday to respond to questions about those concerns.
However, John Bott, DACF communications director, said Monday that any question concerning whether the midway attraction would be allowed to continue operating beyond July 3 would have to be addressed at the Nov. 14 hearing.
Cleary said the Houlton Fair board has yet to discuss whether it would send representatives to Augusta to oppose Northern Maine Fair’s latest request as they did with the first.
“It’s too bad that they (NMF) want to go and do this instead of working together,” Cleary said. “That option is out there for them to talk to us, to see if we can somehow work together on this.”
Due to the changes from Smokey’s and the bid to change dates, Northern Maine Fair organizers are “almost three months behind on planning,” Winslow said last week.
“We can’t plan anything till we get that,” he said of securing a new schedule. “After the hearing, we’ll have more to say about plans for next year.”
One feature of the fair that remains uncertain is horse racing, for which a separate license will be needed if the dates of the fair are changed. Getting that license for 2019 may be difficult, Winslow said.
Interest in harness racing across the state has ebbed and flowed, but Winslow said that the Northern Maine Fair has made strong efforts to bring harness racers to Presque Isle. The fair is the only time of year that harness racing is held in Presque Isle.
“The fair has done everything it could to keep it going at the Northern Maine Fair,” Winslow said.
