FRYEBURG – A fiber barn and horse-drawn wagon exposition building top the new offerings that will greet fair-goers attending the 154th Fryeburg Fair, which opens Sunday.

The fiber barn replaces a tent that has been used for the last six years to display llama, alpaca and angora fiber. The new wood-shingled building is located across from the Llama Barn and near the Pulling Ring. There is wall space for permanent educational displays as well as rotating showcased fiber artists giving continuous demonstrations of all types of fiber arts.

“Farms that raise fiber animals (such as goats, rabbits, alpacas, llamas and sheep) are the sector of Maine farming that is increasing in numbers,” said Hilary Ware, llama superintendent. “As popular as this is becoming, one does not have to own the fiber animals to use the fiber. Farm owners, specialty shops and even larger stores are making fiber and do-it-yourself instructions available to anyone interested to learn and become connected to the age-old fiber arts.”

Llama and alpaca fiber is partially hollow, making it light to wear and extremely warm for the weight, Ware said. The individual strands are 35 times stronger than human hair. Sheep’s wool retains its warmth even when wet.

Near the fiber barn is the new 150-by-36-foot show barn that will house the wagon exhibit. Twenty commercial and exotic horse-drawn wagons from throughout the world will be on display under the theme of “Towns and Villages.” They are on loan from the collection of Sut Marshall of Conway, N.H.

“These are the wagons which carried the coal, watered the streets, delivered milk, bread and meat to townspeople, carried the dead and generally contributed to village life at the turn of the century,” said Sut Marshall, whose entire collection contains 150 wagons from throughout the world.

Marshall and his wife, Margaret, own Abbott’s Ice Cream, distributors of Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream.

“When the fair suggested setting up a permanent display in a building they would construct, it seemed like the best solution for everybody,” Marshall said.

Some of the classic vehicles on display this year include a Standard Oil wagon, an Abbott’s Dairy wagon, an English bakery wagon a Studebaker Street Sprinkler and a hearse.

To enhance the display, authorities on horse-drawn vehicles will be on hand to answer questions from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

“I’m very excited about this,” Marshall said. “Margaret and I really appreciate all the fair has done. We want to do a good job, have it be a fun time for everyone and look forward to coming back next year with a new grouping of wagons.”