PARIS — Jesse Hill is hoping for a little — no, a lot — more snow this year.

Hill promotes cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in Bethel and Oxford, locations for Carter’s XC Ski Centers.

Hill was one of more than 70 exhibitors at the Business Showcase, sponsored by the Oxford Hills Chamber of Commerce on Saturday.

“We had a lot of warm weather after January,” Hill said, “but we had enough snow in Bethel to ski through February.” The Bethel location has 34 miles of trails, while Oxford has about 25 miles of trails.

Hill’s booth, one of about 40 set up in the gym at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School, also included accessories such as mittens, hats and socks.

And pickles.

“People really like our pickles,” he said.

“And your cheese,” said a young woman, walking by.

“We have a farm in the summer,” Hill said. Most of the produce was sold to Hannaford.

The ski shops opened Oct. 1.

“Once the leaves start to fall, people start thinking about skiing,” Hill said.

It’s also the time people start thinking about heating their homes for the winter.

“This is a busy time for us,” said Jere Spugnardi of Livermore, who does marketing and advertising for Jordan & Wainwright in Oxford. At his booth, people were lining up to put their names into a drawing for a free furnace-cleaning.

“Once people’s furnaces start to go on, it reminds them they have to order oil and get their furnaces cleaned,” he said.

Spugnardi has found that while older people are used to heating with oil, younger people ask questions about using propane. They’ve heard it burns cleaner, but he says that’s not the only advantage.

“The price of propane is more stable,” he said.

It was the second year he had taken part in the showcase, which he says raises the company’s visibility.

“It’s really hard to say how much it has improved our deliveries, but I do know last year we installed two gas water heaters as a result of the show,” he said.

Exhibitors were also set up in the halls.

While many offered candy to entice visitors to stop by, Lisa Moore of Harrison offered crackers and pesto, and a big basket of carrots.

Moore and other volunteers raised over 1,000 pounds of produce last summer at the Alan Day Community Garden in Norway. Moore was a close friend of the late Alan Day, an artist, philanthropist and community activist, whose twin daughters established the garden two years ago on 3 acres.

The purpose of the garden is to teach people how to raise food, Moore said. Most of it was donated to schools, churches and food pantries.

At the opposite end of the hall, Mia Purcell of Bethel represented the Western Maine Economic Development Council. It was the first year the organization, a division of Community Concepts, participated in the showcase.

Before the show opened to the public at 11 a.m., participants gathered around 9 a.m. to introduce themselves and speak briefly about their company or organization. Purcell found it to be valuable.

“We each had two minutes to say what we do,” she said. “Sometimes it’s easier for someone to give you a short, condensed version of what they do, rather than reading through a brochure.”

Several people who stopped to talk with her wanted advice about marketing a small business.

“We view ourselves as a single point of contact for local, state and federal resources,” she said. The office is in South Paris.

Khristopher Lalemand of Auburn, treasurer of the Oxford Chamber, was there to announce the launching of his new website, Deals In ME. It’s a chance for businesses to offer special deals to customers — providing vendors with “up front money,” and is free to users. A 2002 graduate of Edward Little High School and a 2008 graduate of the University of Southern Maine, Lalemand hopes to have it up and running in a couple of weeks.

For those wanting a taste of what two area restaurants offer, Fran and Tim Buck, owners of Crosstone Restaurant in Woodstock, and Casey Kangas of Auburn, a chef at Maurice Restaurant Francais in South Paris, were ready with hot food and desserts.

Other exhibitors included large companies such as Verizon, local banks, artists and crafters, colleges, schools, health care organizations and a variety of nonprofits and service organizations, including the Oxford Hills Rotary Club.

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