Hello friends,

It’s a big job to move a fair-we’ve been busy! We started with mapping out our new grounds. We also worked with the town land use and public safety departments to meet town and state safety requirements and we created a new operations plan. We’ve been building animal and mechanized pull rings, building roads, and bringing water into the grounds all while ensuring we maintain our major agricultural fair status. It takes long hours, many meetings and lots of fund raising. Is it worth the effort-sure is, we hope you come see for yourself!

Speaking of fundraising, the 1st Annual Chicken BBQ hosted by the Portland Fair and the Portland Farmers Fish and Game Club was a large success. We used the proceeds we raised to build our new premier truck pull ring. Both the animal and truck pull rings have a new permanent home on Fish and Game Club property. We are looking forward to many truck pulls and events to come.

There are so many to thank this year. Thanks to our Friends of the Portland Fair chicks and bunnies who kicked off our fundraising campaign and the advertisers who contributed to this fair book and the panels that will be displayed in the entertainment tent. Also thank you to the individuals and business for their donations and words of encouragement, we appreciate it all very much. Next year hopefully will bring permanent lighting and electricity as we continue to improve these grounds and grow the fair. We are thankful for the friendship and partnership we have established with Chris Cote’s Driving Range and Portland Fish and Game Club, they provided us the opportunity to move. It’s a big and expensive job to move a fair.

We also won’t forget our roots—we would like to thank The Exchange Club for hosting the Fair since its return 24 years ago. Its bittersweet to leave the “Fairgrounds” however you can’t mess with mother nature. Thank you to all the volunteers and business that are helping with the build at the new grounds. Keep up with the progress at portlandfair.com or on Facebook. We are posting updates, pictures and work party dates. Please join us, there is so much more to do-we really need the help.

We are excited to present to you our new grounds in October. We hope you join us either as a volunteer or a guest and have some fun.