OXFORD — In 2020 the Oxford County Fair was one of the last agricultural events in Maine to be cancelled because of the pandemic. And despite a mid-summer surge of COVID 19, the fair has returned.
It looked a little different – no Education Day this year. Some 4-H events were smaller because individual clubs had a hard time organizing without in person meetings. But the entertainment was as popular as ever and the community turned out.
“It’s a little different this year,” said Mary Merriam of Auburn who was manning the desk in the 4-H barn. She and her husband run a rabbit farm based in South Paris. “It’s good, it was also good to take a year off. It’s also a little scary, which is why I have all the fans going. But it’s good to be out and to see people.”
Henry Jackson, treasurer of the Oxford County Fair, said that as of Friday organizers are satisfied with how things have gone.
“I would say that 4-H entries were down a bit, but we’re very pleased with the turnout,” said Jackson. “The weather has affected vegetables on display in the exhibit hall. On Wednesday we had to shut everything down because of the storm that moved through. We were very pleased with Thursday, the gate was way up over what it was in 2019.
“A lot of people have come in from out of state for our miniature horse pull. And the demolition derby always brings in a good crowd.”
Sometimes it is hard to tell where a fiber animal starts and ends. Here is an Angora rabbit, snoozing in the 4-H barn at the Oxford Fair. Nicole Carter / Advertiser Democrat
Rodney Stevens (left) and Bernhard “I don’t know why they named me that” Bumpus of Oxford at the Maine Antique Tractor Club’s exhibit at the Oxford County Fair. Stevens brought CASE and John Deere tractors, including a 1952 CASE he said he’s had since forever. Bumpus had several McCormick tractors on display. Nicole Carter / Advertiser Democrat
Ilse Libby (front, five) and her brother Dawson (six) of Auburn pump water at the Oxford Fair’s museum barn while their mother Laura Libby looks on. The kids said they would enjoy pumping water every time they needed it. Nicole Carter / Advertiser Democrat
Kevin Farr of Oxford demonstrates how to use different machines for processing corn at the Oxford County Fair Museum. Nicole Carter / Advertiser Democrat
Kayden Damon of Greenwood, 12, shows off the decorative leaf he received during Bell Hill Forge’s blacksmithing demonstration at the Oxford Fair. Kayden made a special request for the Advertiser Democrat to help him say hello to his Mimi (Louise Damon) who lives in Norway. Nicole Carter / Advertiser Democrat
Dr. Drew and his Animals Too from Lewiston is a big draw anytime. Drew brought a menagerie to the Oxford County Fair that included lizards, a tortoise, a snapping turtle named Wilbert that likes to snuggle in blankets and have his chin scratched, and a Japanese rat snake. Normally a color ranging from pale yellow-green to dark blue-green, this snake is leucistic, meaning it lacks pigment but is not classified as a true albino. Nicole Carter / Advertiser Democrat
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