FARMINGTON — Hundreds of attendees had made their way by noon on Saturday through the gates for the first Foothills Fest, showcasing the talent, artisans and businesses of the area.

The festival was sponsored by the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce. 

“I’m happy with the crowd,” Chamber President Mike Blanchet said. “It’s the first year. It’s a perfect day. We really lucked out.”

Vendor Amy LeBlanc of East Wilton was selling items from her business, Whitehill Farm. While it was quiet at times, that gave her more time to talk with people with questions.

“I’ve had some wonderful conversations with folks,” she said. “Everybody wants to know what a garlic scape is.” 

University of Maine at Farmington senior Cameron Morrell was overseeing the 60-foot inflatable obstacle course. There was a long line of children and adults waiting to take a turn.

“This is easily the most popular event here today,” he said.

Joan Macneil of Canton brought her grandson, Ryan Bates. Visiting from his home in Putnam, Connecticut, he enjoyed feeding the goats in the petting zoo.

Dozens of people gathered for a K-9 police dog demonstration presented by Lt. David Rackliffe and Deputy Derrick Doucette of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office. Rackliffe told how the dogs were trained, Doucette demonstrated his dog’s tracking ability and both answered questions from the audience.

Farmington Police Sgt. Edward Hastings IV had special goggles for visitors to wear. Each pair simulated what vision would look like with a different blood alcohol level percentage (BAL).

While wearing a pair equal to a 0.07 BAL, Blanchet said, “Wow! Everything is way off.”

Cassandra Tetzlaff, a girl from Farmington, tried a pair simulating a BAL of 0.20.

“I can’t see straight,” she said. “Everything is on its side.”

Chamber Executive Director Penny Meservier said, “Everybody is having a good time. The bands have been great, the kid’s activities a big hit and the weather has been perfect.”

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