Celebrate Rural Living with MOFGA!
1997 Area Coordinators for the Common Ground Country Fair
A Tribute to Newt Cochran
Volunteer Donald Ketcham Recovering
Celebrate Rural Living with MOFGA!
By Susan Pierce, Director of Special Events and Russell Libby, Executive Director
Once again we are gathering to celebrate a harvest. Common Ground Country Fair is the culmination of a year of activity, from the gardens through the entire range of our daily lives.
MOFGA wants the Fair to represent the whole of rural life. At the heart of Common Ground is a traditional agricultural fair, with exhibits of produce, farm products and livestock. Farmers sell their products at the farmer's market and in agricultural booths. Some of Maine's most innovative uses of local and organic foods are displayed in the food area. But rural living goes beyond agriculture, to encompass traditional and modern crafts, and technology that works for farm and household: the right tools, the right systems. Entertainment runs from stories to fiddles to a wide range of local musicians. Rural Susan Pierce. living today also means that we're involved in the broader world around us, so we have areas devoted to environmental concerns and social and political action.
If MOFGA has one wish for the Fair, it's that you will take the ideas you encounter during your visit and turn them into action. Plant one of the unusual tomato varieties you'll see on display. Learn how to make one of the Russell Libby. meals that you especially liked in the food area, and find the ingredients in your garden or at the local farmers' market. Try your hand at a traditional craft. Dance. Tell a story. Get involved in solving the problems of your community or the state.
The author Annie Proulx recently observed that the public seems to think of things rural as more authentic than their everyday lives. We hope that you can make a closer link between your daily lives and "rural living" as you join us in our celebration, the Common Ground Country Fair.
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1997 Area Coordinators for the Common Ground Country Fair
The following people are members of the Common Ground Country Fair Planning Team. All are volunteers who give countless hours of their time, knowledge and expertise throughout the year.
Agricultural Booth: Ernie Glabau, Jarrodd Pooler
Agricultural Demonstrations: Cynthia Hamlin, Mark Albee, Wendy Decrodo, Faye Krause, Caitlyn Hunter, Bradford Hunter, Mark Silber, Terry Silber
Animal Products: Mary Isham
Announcements: Skip Green
Auto Gate: Amos Alley, Jim Bowers
Common Ground Country Fair Steering
Committee Chair: CR Lawn
Children’s Area: Marie Hickey, Kim Kuntz, Jim McEntee
Children’s Parade: Beedy Parker
Common Kitchen: Bill Whitman, Barbara MacLennan, Wes Sproul, Catherine LeBlanc, Kim Bolshaw
Country Store: Lisa Miller, Roy Miller, Dennis Merrill
Crafts: Peggy Strong, Joann Tribby
Electricity: Steve Plumb, Paul Murray
Entertainment: David Neufeld (Storytelling), Joe Clarke (Daytime), Ellis Percy (Evening), Marie Hickey (Roving)
Environmental Concerns: Obie Buell
Exhibition Hall: Martha Gottlieb, Valerie Jackson, Roberta Bunker, Peggy Connell (Indoor Booths)
Fairgrounds: Rick Kipp, David Howe
Fairgrounds Office Volunteer: Debbie Kipp
Farmers’ Market: David Smith
Fiddle Contest: Bucky Bohrmann
First Aid: Ham Robbins, Pat Donaghy
Folk Arts: Nancy Dudley, Tom Eichenberg
Food: Matthew Strong, Joann Clark
Foot Race: Chris Bovie, Skip Howard
Greening of Technology: Frank Raftery, Danuta Drozdowicz
Harry S Truman Manure Pitch-Off: Lance Gurney
Homebrewing Competition: Tom O’Connor, Bill Giffin
Information Booth: Sue Buck, David Hilton, Heather Karlson
Livestock: Cathy Reynolds, Greg Baker, Peter Rowe (Donkeys), Jan Rowe (Donkeys), David Stevens (Draft Horses), Lala Grindle (Fleece Show), Judy Kirk (Fleece Show), Dave McCullogh (Horses), Dwain Chase (Oxen), Wes Daniels (Oxen), Brian Perry (Oxen), Keith Worth (Oxen), Bill George (Poultry), Forrest Hooper (Poultry), Diana Whitehouse (Rabbits), Ansley Newton (Standard Bred Horses), Perley Emery (Rabbits), Myra Emery (Rabbits)
Maine Businesses: Ellis Percy
MOFGA Booth: Donna Bradstreet, Robert Martin
Native American Arts: Theresa Hoffman, Richard Silliboy
Northeast Historic Films: Jane Berry Donnell
Parking: Bill Bartlett, Dave Colson, Paul Volckhausen
Parking Lot Clean-up: Fred Pinnette
Permanent Site Fundraising: Mort Mather
Pig Calling Contest: Rums Percy
Recycling: BJ Jones, Steve Peary
Safety: David Blocher, Lucy Behnke, Mike Burns, Richard Dickey, Don Thalmert, Vernon Leeman
Social & Political Action: Betsy Hart, Dan Hamilton
Ticket Gate: Carol Dorr
Volunteers: Sue Dwyer, Tina Bernier, Lynda Hadsell
Wednesday Spinners: Mollie Birdsall, Cynthia Thayer
Whole Life Tent: Barbara Foust, Herb Brewer, Barbara Balkin
Winemaking Competition: Jonathan Bailey
Youth Enterprise Zone: Bob Egan
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A Tribute to Newt Cochran
By Shawn McCole
Last year marked the passing of one of my favorite livestock demonstrators, Newt Cochran. At all the fairs I enjoyed seeing Newt pull in with his converted school bus, affectionately named “Newt’s Toybox,” cattle in the back and Newt’s home away from home in front.
Newt had a particular soft spot for Common Ground. He just shined when demonstrating how to handle a team of oxen, and he started the tradition of letting Fairgoers actually drive his team through an obstacle course. At his insistence everybody who tried got a blue ribbon.
Any time during the Fair, day or night, if you wandered into Newt’s bus he would ask if you were hungry, and if you were, he’d cook you one heck of a breakfast.
I met him many years ago at the Fair. I had just bought a black mare and wanted to have her trucked back to West Paris. Newt stepped right up and explained that he had two load of cattle to haul that night, but he’d haul her the next morning. I had to go to work early the next day, so I arranged for the mare to be watched overnight. I did wonder if he would make it, and when I got home, true to his word, there stood the mare in my barn, all for $15.00!
Now when I pull into a Fairgrounds with my horses, I still look to see where “Newt’s Toybox” is parked. Quickly I remember that my old friend is gone. God bless you Newt Cochran. We all miss you dearly.
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Volunteer Donald Ketcham Recovering
Donald Ketcham of Farmington has been a volunteer at the Fair almost since he began to walk. Now 20 years old, he spent parts of the last two fairs demonstrating blacksmithing in the Folk Arts area, a skill he taught himself. This spring, in Idaho, he was riding a bicycle on a switchback when he had a head-on crash with a motorcycle. He was in a coma for five weeks. He is now recovering with the aid of a walker – and is riding a horse to improve his balance. We’re looking forward to seeing Donald at the Fair for many years to come, and we encourage those of you who have worked with him to stop by the Common Kitchen and leave notes and messages.
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