OXFORD – It’s big, red and free, and that makes Oxford County Fair Promotions Director Caldwell Jackson happy.

He was all smiles Monday when representatives from Keiser Industries Inc. officially donated a judges’ stand to the fair.

The wooden structure is painted barn red, measures 288 square feet and can handle at least 40 pounds of weight per square foot, according to Tim Farrar, operations manager at Keiser, a modular home manufacturer in Oxford.

The stand will be used as a working space by race horse judges, tote board personnel, announcers and those controlling photo finishes for races.

Jackson said it will stand 20 feet high mounted on 20 poles. He said the judges’ stand will be near the paddocks, which are nearly built, and close to the grandstands, which for the moment are just a thought.

Jackson said he has received estimates of $500,000 to $700,000 to construct grandstands.

So, for the time being, he hopes to use bleachers on the fairgrounds property that are currently owned by SAD 17.

Joe Martin, director of sales at Keiser, estimated that the judges’ stand is worth about $6,000 including materials and labor.

The Oxford Fair will have horse racing with pari-mutuel betting for the first time since 1964. This is the first track built in Maine since 1942.

There will be full racing cards of 10 races each on Sept. 10 to Sept. 13.

The half-mile long oval track was recently completed, and exhibition races were held May 24.

Jackson said the track is unique to Maine.

“There are banked, sweeping turns at 12 degrees. The straightaway dips in over one-and- one-half feet from the outside rail to the inside pylons.”

Farrar said that the addition of racing was going to take the fair “back to old times.”

jsmedley@sunjournal.com

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