Outrageous to all of us who worked our way through school!!
We woke at 6:30 a.m. and started preparing for Jon’s 8:00 a.m. pickup. The house was comfortable, and we didn’t need to turn on any heat. Sleeping at a higher altitude may have helped me sleep, as being four feet off the floor was a new experience. My bride and I were relieved we didn’t toss and turn in our sleep, as falling from that height would be a long way down.
I love the old furniture which is in outstanding condition!
Mary found the blow dryer, and I charged all the electronics. We’re ready for the day!
Jon was Jonny on the spot, picking us up at 8:15 a.m. We arrived at Colleen’s about five minutes later. He has a beautiful home, and we got the grand tour!
Colleen’s home is beautiful! She and Mark have made a wonderful home together!
By 8:35 a.,m. we were on the road to the fair.
Did You Know? It was a chilly day in March of 1851 when a few local farmers and merchants gathered and decided to show off their harvest, produce, cattle, and wares to the community. Since those humble beginnings, Fryeburg Fair, Maine’s Blue Ribbon Classic, is Maine’s largest agricultural fair, second in New England in size only to the Eastern States in Massachusetts.
Today, Fryeburg Fair sits on 185 acres and has over 100 buildings. The eight-day fair hosts over 3,000 animals, including prize-winning draft horses, ponies, racing horses, oxen, dairy & beef cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, poultry, rabbits, and more.
Maine’s Blue Ribbon Classic is always during the first week in October. Fryeburg Fair has flourished since that first fair when William Walker of Lovell won $3 for the best acre of corn, and William Spring of Brownfield earned $1 for the best seed wheat. Fryeburg Fair attracts more than 225,000 people annually.
On our way! Mark drove, and the six of us laughed and giggled all the way there.
During the three-plus hour drive to the fair, I regretted my actions from last night when Mary and I disagreed. I went down to the bar and shared the details with everyone! Well, perhaps not ALL of the details.
Oh oh!
Mary hoped to witness the colors changing, but it was too early. A few trees had started to change. Imagine the whole forest like this.
Magnificent colors
It appears that the houses in this area have a common color scheme. We now understand why.
White houses everywhere.
Halloween decorations were all around, and many were quite creative!
Decorations are out for Halloween.
Three forests would be unique in another couple of weeks. We passed by or over many lakes and streams, which looked like mirrors and perfectly reflected their shorelines.
Water is everywhere.
Mother Nature had her paintbrush out this morning.
More colors!
We arrived at the entrance after nearly three hours on the road. Colleen purchased our tickets on her phone, and we walked straight in.
We have arrived.
We were happy to be out of the car, and most of us ran to the restrooms to celebrate! First, Mary headed to the Turkey Leg stand, where we both got a supposed turkey leg the size of a dinosaur’s hind leg.
We walked with that turkey leg stuffed in our mouth, tearing off hunks the size of an 8 oz steak!
Lip-smacking good!
Ready, set, go!! The herd is off and running in all directions!
We have arrived.
As confirmed by my step tracker, we walked for several hours and covered nearly three and a half miles.
The fairground was gigantic!
Jon suggested that we check out the fascinating exhibition of historical wagons. We took too many photos to upload to the Daily Diary, but we will have them accessible later. The Gypsy Wagon was charming, making us reconsider purchasing a motorhome. Instead, we are now considering a horse-drawn wagon.
I was speaking of horses!
Wow!!
This is an authentic wagon!
Mary and I need one of these!
Studebaker made horse-drawn street sweepers!
Scrubbing the streets 100 years ago!
They produced cars well into the 1950s!
Mary and I love being part of Colleen’s family. John and Sarah stayed with us for a week last year, and we plan to repeat the experience. Colleen will come to visit before Christmas, hopefully with Mark!
Being with family makes us very happy!
Everyone has favorite foods, from bratwurst on a stick to liver and onions. The aromas emanating from the stands were almost overwhelming.
Jon needed jerky, and we had to examine the hot sauce display! Burn baby, burn!
Maine has hot sauce.
Our last item to procure was a walking stick for Mark, which he discovered was an excellent poker for Colleen!
Upon arriving near home, Mark dropped us off at the B&B, where we freshened up. Afterward, we stopped at Walmart and a local vendor for some vino before heading to Colleen’s house to join her and her family.
We ordered pizza, and I picked it up with Colleen and Mary. It was damn good pizza! We visited until 9:00 p.m. and then headed home.
The baby was happy to see us and looked for his pizza. He weighed in at 155 pounds yesterday! That would be three Scouts!
The man in charge.
Last night, we went to our bed and breakfast at around 9:15 p.m. as we were heading to Boston today. Our itinerary includes visiting the USS Constitution and Salem to look for ghosts. We packed some extra clean sheets in case we encountered any spirits and decided to chat with them.
