By Jen Otterson,Staff Writer

OXFORD – The Oxford County Fairground Association has been busy raising funds and making changes to the fairgrounds this summer.

Largely through the fund-raising efforts of Chairperson Suzanne Grover, $65,000 has been raised that will be used to add new buildings.

In addition to cash donations, eight apple trees were donated to the fairground. The Fairground Association and Barbara Murphy of the Cooperative Extension office decided that the best place for the trees would be the site of the campground and recreational vehicle park. After the trees were planted, the association needed to find a new spot for campers.

To make room for the new campground, the draft horses will be moved to the opposite end of the row of agricultural buildings, which fair officials say will work out well for the campsite and the horses. “The draft horses and the general public were meeting on a corner, and that was not a good combination,” said Faylene McKeen of the Oxford County Fairground Association. The campground will remain the same size.

A number of new additions will welcome visitors to this year’s fair, which will from from Sept. 14 to Sept. 17. Many of the additions will relate to feeding hungry fairgoers. The Fairground Association is building a new food shack, with indoor seating. The Norway Firemen’s Association will replace its food booth, which was built in the late 1960s. For an additional treat for the taste buds, the Paris Ladies’ Auxiliary, otherwise known as the Paris Firecrackers, plans to build an ice cream parlor.

McKeen said that the Fairground Association eventually plans to build a crafters’ village beside its new food shack. Hardly a shack, the building is 140 feet long and runs alongside the pulling ring.

The electrical service has been upgraded and new lights have been added. “We were on overload a lot,” McKeen said. Improved lighting near the demolition derby and along walking paths will improve safety at the fair.

The fair museum has added an open-sided structure to hold donated antique vehicles and wagons. Finally, the racetrack has had a new surface put down to replace the original surface, which did not bind together properly.

Although it’s not a new building or permanent addition to the fairgrounds, the “biggest and best thing” coming to the fair this fall is Great Frontier Bull Riding, McKeen said. For the first time in the Northeast, the Minnesota bull riders will perform every night of the fair and offer “meet and greet” sessions with fairgoers. McKeen pronounced the addition “absolutely fantastic.”