RUMFORD – When the Fryeburg Fair opens in October it will be its 103rd year in operation. Bill Weston covered the history of the fair when he spoke to the Rumford Historical Society at their meeting recently.

He told of the first meeting in Hiram by the Western Maine Agriculture Society in 1851. It was a one-day fair with a showing of horses, a few oxen and cattle. Since the animals had to walk to the location, it was mainly the local animals that were judged. But there was also a showing and tasting of home made butter, and of fancywork by the ladies.

For the next five years the fair was held at different villages in Western Maine using the local church as the locale. But within five years the fair was held on a small bit of land in Fryeburg. The directors had purchased the land, some even lending personal money for the purchase. When the railroad was finally brought to Fryeburg, there was a horse car to meet the patrons who arrived and to carry them to the fair’s location.

During the Civil War the fair continued. It was a chance for farmers to meet, to compare the looks and the speed of their horses, the pulling power of their oxen, and the size of their swine and the conformation of their sheep. It also gave the women a day together to compare pies, cakes, aprons and crocheted doilies.

It then became a two-day event and later a three-day affair.

The discussion of the fair, which has grown to eight days of activities, encouraged some tales of fun and games. The Petting Zoo, the Farm Museum and the Forestry Building have added momentum to the fair.

Weston’s report had authenticity as he has been in charge of the Small Woodland Owners Booth in the Forestry Building since 1991. Also contributing to the discussion were Elliot and Barbara Burns who serve as chairpersons for the sheep pens.

The Rumford Historical Society will meet Wednesday, Oct. 15, in the Conference Room of the Municipal Building on Congress Street. The program will be a discussion of Holman Day, his writing and filmmaking in the first decades of the 1900s. Everyone is welcome.