TOPSHAM — Inside the pulling ring at the Topsham Fair on Saturday, an audience watched as a team of Belgium horses pulled a platform loaded with 16 concrete bricks.

The horses kicked up dirt as they strained to slowly move the 6,100-pound haul as humans led them, yelling, “Come on!”

When finished, the audience applauded. The horses neighed.

“The object is to see who can pull the farthest,” said horse pull coordinator Thomas Rhoades of Lewiston.

The fair features a midway, food galore, a pumpkin patch, a petting zoo, fun contests (cutest baby, frying-pan throw), an exhibition hall with blue-ribbon produce and crafts. The Topsham Fair is one of 24 agricultural fairs in Maine between July 4 and Oct. 6.

This year is the 159th year of the Topsham Fair, said fair President Leon Brilliant. He has been involved in the fair since 1972.

Marilyn Hunter is a third-generation volunteer. She’s director of entertainment. “We have 75 to 100 volunteers,” she said.

Fairs are especially appealing to consumers who appreciate locally grown food, she said. The fair shows off award-winning vegetables, beef cattle and a fiber farm with shearing demonstrations.

At the petting zoo, a little girl cautiously approached an all-black Angus calf named Belle. The calf was not quite as tall as a Great Dane.

“It’s OK; she won’t hurt you,” coached Chris Baldinelli of Buxton. “It’s my daughter’s calf. She shows for 4-H.” In judging calves, “(judges are) looking at how well you handle the animal, how well the animal is groomed, the structure of the cow to see if it meets certain standards. They want to see a nice straight back, good muscle tone.” It’s not that different from dog shows, Baldinelli said.

Not far off was a herd of curious, hungry goats with floppy ears. They stuck their heads out of their pen when anyone came near, since people often had food.

In the exhibition hall things got serious as three judges compared homemade baked beans. The judges were Dick Brown, Robert Gibson and Missy Ricker, the state fair coordinator for the Maine Department of Agriculture.

First, the judges studied each contestant’s recipe. Then contest coordinator Tish Cloutier, herself a bean expert, presented each batch. The judges looked on and nodded.

Finally, they tasted, drinking water between each sample to cleanse the palate.

After adding up the scores, the blue-ribbon winner was announced: Misti Perkins of Bath for her maple baked beans. Perkins’ recipe included navy beans, maple bacon and maple syrup.

To win the top prize, the recipe had to be easy to understand, Brown said. “If they don’t tell me how hot to cook it, how long to cook it, how can I do it?” The winning beans also had to have a pleasing appearance, consistency and taste.

Next up was whoopie-pie judging. The fair was one judge short. Sun Journal photographer Amber Waterman put down her camera and volunteered. (What a trouper.)

bwashuk@sunjournal.com

The Topsham Fair continues today. Admission is $10, which includes rides. There is no admission fee charged for children less than 36 inches tall.

For more: www.topshamfair.net.

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