Blue Hill area farmers and food makers represent at Common Ground Fair

Chai Wallahs was among several businesses from the Blue Hill area that attended this year’s packed Common Ground Fair. Photo by Jenna Lookner.

UNITY— Beautiful weather and robust attendance made for a successful 49th annual Common Ground Country Fair, according to organizers and attendees. 

The fair is traditionally held over three days during the third weekend of September. It is produced by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) and hosted on their expansive campus in Unity and Thorndike. 

With more than 1000 vendors and exhibitors, the fair is an important event for many farms, businesses, artisans and makers around the state. Among them, several peninsula area businesses and farms are regulars at the fair including Deer Isle Oyster Company, Tinder Hearth, Chai Wallahs, Owl Furniture, and Rainbow Farm. 

“The fair was a great success for Rainbow Farm.” Said Lorelei Cimeno who co-owns Rainbow Farm in Orland with her husband, Noah. “It was a very tricky growing season with the drought and a wet and cold spring. We grow a lot of garlic and fresh, young ginger for the fair and we sold most of it.”

According to the MOFGA website, the fair began with a harvest gathering in Litchfield that attracted approximately 10,000 people. By 1978, the fair had doubled in size and an alternate venue was required, so the popular event moved to Winslow. In 1996, MOFGA purchased the approximately 200-acre campus where it is now hosted.

A stretch of comfortable, sunny days provided an ideal backdrop. Fairgoers enjoyed characteristic Maine September weather, and traffic was stopped in either direction by the time gates opened at 9 a.m. when The Rising Tide visited on Friday, September 19 and Sunday, September 21. The mile walk down a wooded path into the fairgrounds was filled with excitement and eventually, lines — which, while long— were filled with good natured attendees of all ages, with veteran fairgoers swapping stories and laughter as they waited to gain entry to the fairgrounds. 

Common Ground Fair Director April Boucher provided the following attendance numbers for 2025: on Friday, the fair welcomed 18,946 (including 5,612 school children and chaperones), Saturday’s count was 25,109 and 17,541 attended on Sunday for a total attendance count of 61,596 fair visitors this year. 

"We're seeing a longtime trajectory of increasing attendance numbers.” Boucher said. “There is consistent high interest in the Fair. At 61,596 fairgoers, we had a vibrant Common Ground Country Fair and enjoyed beautiful weather."

The 50th annual Common Ground Country Fair is planned for September 25, 26 and 27, 2026. 

A boy pets a calf at the Common Ground Fair. Photo by Jenna Lookner.

See the sights and sounds of the Common Ground Fair in this video by Alex Violette.