NORWAY – The Oxford County Fair had its most successful year in 2005 in terms of attendance, and a generous amount of private and community support is allowing the fair to expand and become more financially self-sufficient, fair officials said Tuesday.
“As directors, we feel fortunate that we’ve come to the point where we can take responsibility for our own debt,” said Suzanne Grover, president of the Oxford County Fairground Association. “We’ve done this with a lot of help. We crawled, we walked, and now maybe we’re able to run.”
Grover said final attendance figures won’t be determined until October. She added that a small profit will probably be made, but final figures would not be determined until the end of the year.
“I would say we had our best (attendance) year,” Grover said. “We’ve gotten tremendous support from the community.”
The fair was held Sept. 14-17.
The fairgrounds have undergone a number of significant upgrades and improvements during the past five years, almost entirely supported by private donations and fund raising. They include a new harness racing track, a reconstructed front gate and fairgrounds entrance, several refurbished buildings including exhibition halls and barns, new camping spaces and new power on the fairgrounds.
This year’s fair also featured a new attraction, the Great Frontier Bull Riding show. The bull riding company from Minnesota performed every night of the fair and held “meet and greet” sessions with fairgoers.
The harness racetrack, now in its third year of use, was one of the more ambitious projects, costing over a half-million dollars. Grover said 90 to 95 percent of the cost was covered by private donations and fund raising. Unnamed private individuals covered the shortfall with their own money, with an agreement that they would be reimbursed.
At a regular meeting before the fair, the fairground directors voted, with one abstention, in favor of a bank loan to reimburse the private monies. Grover declined to comment on the loan amount but said it was “a very minimal amount.”
“It was a very planned process that is part of a progressive, growing fair,” she said. “The fair has come to the point where it can meet the obligation.”
The loan also will allow purchase of a racehorse barn on the fairgrounds. The purchase should be completed around Nov. 1, Grover said.
Buddy Burke, a director from South Paris who originally financed the barn, said an appraisal of $85,000 includes the barn, a plow truck, and a truck that hauls manure, hay, and sawdust. “This was the fair’s barn. It was just a question of when they were going to pay for it,” he said.
Burke said he and his wife fronted bonds they had saved to help meet the racetrack’s fund-raising shortfall. A $150,000 line of credit was established that enabled the racetrack to begin operating in the fall 2003.
The fair has been held on the Pottle Road grounds since 1967, and 2005 marked the fair’s 160th year.
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