FARMINGTON — As summer days dwindle, Franklin County Chamber of Commerce is preparing for its 6th Annual End of Summer Hoorah!

A new event has been added to the list of weekend activities planned for Aug. 26 to 28 at Farmington Fairgrounds.

This year, eight local bands will compete in a Battle of the Bands starting at noon Saturday, Aug. 27. Six have already signed up but two more are needed, Marc Relford said. Each band can perform for about 15 minutes.

Along with a $250 cash prize, the winning band gets two songs professionally recorded by Abrams Audio of Salem, he said.

Ernie Scholl from Everyday Music and Leslie Bull of Disco Bull will serve as judges along with a couple others that organizers are still recruiting.

Any band of any genre that would like to participate can contact the chamber, Relford said.

Applying does not necessarily mean playing. Each group needs to provide organizers with a demo of a couple original songs, Mike Blanchet, event organizer, said. More information is available online at www.franklincountymaine.org

The weekend begins Friday, Aug. 26, with a Texas Hold ‘Em Tourney. There’s room for 100 players with an admission of $55 but there’s a 75 percent payout to the last 10 players, he said.

Last year the event was popular, nearly filling all the seats.

A scenic ride around Franklin County is planned for motorcyclists on Saturday morning during the Motorcycle Raffle Run. Stops are made along the way to raffle funds, he said.

Following the Battle of the Bands on Saturday at 5 p.m., another popular event returns, a Motorcycle Burnout. Motorcycles are hooked up to a burnout pad so they can’t go anywhere as they rev up their motors and smoke their tires, he said. Winners are chosen according to the number of decibels.

Last year, several of the motorcyclists kept going till their tires exploded. It drew more than 200 people, Blanchet, chamber vice president of membership, said.

Sunday’s car and motorcycle show includes 21 categories of vehicles from vintage to present, and six categories for motorcycles, Relford said.

Some forms to participate in these events are online at www.franklincountymaine.org, or potential participants can contact the chamber at 778-4215, Relford said.

Tickets to the event are also on sale now from the chamber. The charge is $3 in advance or $5 at the gate. The ticket Saturday includes both the Battle of the Bands and the Motorcycle Burnout.

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