Created by Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School students
Beginning in 1842, the Oxford County Fair has been a big success. Families would travel for miles and miles by horse and buggy, sometimes for a week, to see the awesome attractions and other events. Today, in the new millennium, the Oxford County Fair is still the highlight of the summer season. So take your ticket and enter Norway's past.
In 1908, one of the biggest attractions at the fair was the Ferris wheel. In Norway at this time people at the fair were still traveling by horse and buggy. The fair was one of the biggest events and people would travel from Maine and surrounding states with excitement to ride the rides and see the entertainment.
The Oxford County Fair offered rides and many other attractions such as food, cooking contests, and baseball games. In 1907, there were many food venders at the fair. Dinner at Lovejoy's Dining Hall cost 25 cents and Fred W. Knox Café offered "meals at all hours".
A crowd gathers in 1907 to listen to the old brass band play.
Of the many things you can do at the Oxford County Fair one was to watch horse racing. This event took a long break when the fair grounds moved locations in the sixties. This event will be returning in 2004.
The fair had to close temporarily because the town needed a place for the new consolidated Oxford Hills High School.
In the agricultural sections of the fair 4-H was one of the leading contributors. Although this picture was taken in 1976 the fair had animal contests from its beginning through until today. The Oxford County Fair began as the Oxford county Agricultural Society, because at the beginning of the fair it was mainly about farming and animals.
The two events advertised on the cover of the 1931 Oxford County Agricultural Society's program for the fair were fireworks and vaudeville shows. Even today both are still popular events.
Starting in the 1920's, automobiles were beginning to be used in traveling to the fair. They were also used to view one of the fair's events, the baseball game.
What would the fair be without dancing girls? You have Ferris wheels, horse racing, baseball games, and dancing girls. The dancing girls were a vaudeville act along with comedians and many other live shows.
Today most fairs have a guess your age and birthday game. Not many have the guess your weight game. Back in the day you would be placed upon a swinging scale. If the host of the ride guessed your weight correctly you lost, if he guessed wrong you would win a prize.
This photograph was used as a postcard; it was mailed to Miss. Lena McIntire in Buckfield Maine, on October first 1907. The picture gives a great view of the fairgrounds with the grandstands in the background. So through all the ups and downs of the fair it continues today and it is still as much fun as when it first began. Come and join us each summer.
We would like to say thanks to the Norway historical society, especially Mr. Charles Longley for his time, and the use of their artifacts in this exhibit.
