Welcome Fair Volunteers

Volunteer Information

Volunteer Benefits

How To Volunteer

Friendly faces like these will greet you at the Volunteer Check-in Tent.

WELCOME VOLUNTEERS!

Common Ground Country Fair is created and fueled by the boundless energy and dedication of volunteers. The Fair simply would not happen without volunteers!

Pre-registration is now Closed.

You can still volunteer during set-up and during the Fair!

Please join us for Fair Set-Up Shifts during Set-Up begin at 8 am and 1 pm daily.

During the Fair you can volunteer by visiting the Volunteer Tent, located at the South/Pine Gate. There you can register for 2 hour or 4 hour shifts in many areas. We particularly need help in the Parking Lots all weekend long.

We also need lots of help after the Fair for clean-up, which begins on Monday, September 27th. Clean-up volunteers are super-heroes in our book! This is a great time for volunteer groups to help out. Pre-Register for shifts today!

MOFGA continues to develop its year-round volunteer program to help run the organization's many programs. If you are interested in volunteering for any of MOFGA's programs other than the Fair, please send an e-mail or call 207-568-4142.

Volunteer Benefits:

One 4-hour shift:

One Fair Volunteer T-shirt
Fair Admission for the day you work
One meal at the Common Kitchen on the day you work
Camping privileges

Multiple 4-hour shifts:

Same benefits as 4-hour shifts plus;
One Fair Admission for each shift (max. three days admission)
One meal at the Common Kitchen for each shift you work

Additional Benefits:

Sunday Shifts:

Volunteers who work at least one shift on SUNDAY are eligible for a raffle of “goodies” donated by Fair vendors held one or more times during the Fair on Sunday. Inquire with the Volunteer Check-In Tent for details.

Overnight & Parking Shifts:

The 7-hour Overnight Safety Patrol shift counts as two 4-hour shifts.
In addition to the standard benefits, volunteers working in the parking lot or overnight food prep shifts in the Commom Kitchen receive a CGCF hat. 
Volunteer T-Shirts:
All volunteers at the Fair receive one of our classic organic cotton Fair t-shirts. If you are working multiple shifts you will pick up your shirt at your first shift. These shirts are custom sewn for the Common Ground Country Fair by Liberty Graphics and are made in the USA with 100% domestically grown organic cotton.

Meals:

The meals provided for Fair staff and volunteers are prepared in the Common Kitchen by volunteers with ingredients generously donated by MOFGA members and supporters. Over the course of Fair set-up, the Fair weekend and clean-up, thousands of meals are served.
You must have a meal ticket in order to enter the Common Kitchen dining area for a meal.
Meal ticket(s) are distributed by Area Coordinators to volunteers upon completion of each shift. Be sure to remember to get your meal ticket after your shift.

Camping:

Volunteers working 4 or more hours are invited to camp at the fairgrounds. A Camping Permit, issued by the respective camping coordinator, is required. Your Volunteer Confirmation is required as proof of your eligibility to camp. Sites will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis by the camping coordinators. Space permitting, volunteer camping is available in one of three areas:

South Parking in the Southwest corner of the area. If you have a camper, you must park in the South Parking Camping area. There are no water or electricity hook-ups for RVs.
Primitive Camping area in the woods north of the Amphitheater.
Communal Camping Tent behind Bicycle Parking by the Rose Gate.

All campers must abide by the following Camping Rules:

Volunteers may not engage in illegal activity on the Fairgrounds.
Pets are absolutely forbidden on Fairgrounds or in the camping areas at any time.
No campfires.
To minimize impact, campers must stay on marked paths in the primitive camping area.
There are no electrical or water hook-ups in any of the camping areas.
Use port-a-potties or the latrine in the camping area. Do not go to the bathroom in the woods.
Quiet time is from 10 p.m. until 6 a.m. Volunteers may set up in the primitive campsite area between 8:00 a.m. and dusk only. Set-up in the South Parking Lot may take place at any time.
Volunteers must take gray water to the holding tank.
Common Ground Country Fair assumes no responsibility for lost or stolen items.
Volunteers must stay off the Fairgrounds between the hours of 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.
Members of the CGCF Safety Team are authorized to ask volunteers for identification in the form of volunteer confirmation cards. Safety Team members represent the CGCF and MOFGA in determining whether certain persons and/or their conduct is permitted to be on the fairgrounds. Any person not abiding by established Fair guidelines may be asked to leave the fairgrounds by the Safety Officer in charge, the Fair Director or a Waldo County Deputy.
Please carry out what you carry in. Thanks!

How to Volunteer at the Common Ground Country Fair

Eligibility:

1. Volunteers under the age of 18 must have parent or guardian signed consent form. Volunteers must be at least 13 years old to volunteer without a guardian. Children between the ages 10 – 12 may volunteer only if accompanied by a guardian 21 years of age or older with at least 1 adult : 2 children ratio.

2. Special cases:

• Children's Area: Minimum age 13 years old.

• Auto Gates, Common Kitchen, Country Store, Entertainment, Low Impact Forestry, Parking, First Aid, Safety, Speaker Tents, Ticket Takers: Minimum age 16 years old.

• Ticket-sellers: Min. age 18 yrs. and well known to MOFGA staff or Board members.

• Shuttle Assistants: Min. age 18 yrs.

To Register – There are two ways to register for volunteer shifts at the Fair:

Register online for individuals Registration closes Sunday, September 18th
If you are registering a family or group please register online, using the link below.
Family & Group Volunteer Registration Form Registration closes Sunday, September 18th
Via mail, download below or to request a copy please call 568-4142 or email volunteers@mofga.org.

If you register online you will be able to select your own schedule from available shifts. If you register via mail, we will assign you shifts based on your indicated preferences. The CGCF assigns volunteers on a first come, first served basis. If a requested slot is already filled the CGCF will assign volunteers according to need.

Registration by Mail is closed

If registering by mail:

1. Via mail, download (above) or to request a copy please call 568-4142 or email volunteers@mofga.org.

2. Mail your registration form to:
Common Ground Country Fair PO Box 170, Unity ME 04988 or fax to 207-568-4141 by Sept. 9^th.

We can use walk-in volunteers at the Fair but it helps us immensely when you take the time to pre-register.

Confirmation:

1. Online registrations will receive confirmation via email. Mailed registrations will receive a Shift Confirmation with your assignment(s) via mail after we process your registration.

2. Keep your confirmation. This confirmation will entitle you to a Volunteer Admission Pass when you check in at the Volunteer Check-In Tent. You will also need to present this card to the camping area coordinator in order to camp.

3.If you need to cancel, please call: 568-4142 or email: volunteers@mofga.org to let us know as soon as possible.

Arriving at the Fair:

1. Give yourself plenty of time to get to Unity.

2. Consider camping the night before or arriving in the early morning to avoid traffic and to be on time for your shift.

3. Park at the South Lot (Pine Gate). The Volunteer Check-In Tent is right outside the Pine Gate entrance. See attached map and directions for more detail.

Volunteer Check-In:

• Prior to and after the Fair, set-up and clean up volunteers check-in at the main office.

• During the Fair, all volunteers must check in at the Volunteer Check-In Tent when they first arrive at the Fair. Come to the Volunteer Check-In Tent on the first day you are scheduled to volunteer at the Fair. The Volunteer Check-In Tent is the only place you may obtain your Admission Pass. Free entry is NOT available at any other gate (unless you are a MOFGA member).

When you check-in, you will receive a Check-In Slip for each shift you are scheduled to work. You must give the Check-In Slip to the Area Coordinator when you show up for your shift in order to receive your t-shirt and meal ticket.

WELCOME VOLUNTEERS! Common Ground Country Fair is created and fueled by the boundless energy and dedication of volunteers. The Fair simply would not happen without volunteers!

Volunteer Benefits:

Registration by Mail is closed

WELCOME VOLUNTEERS!

Common Ground Country Fair is created and fueled by the boundless energy and dedication of volunteers. The Fair simply would not happen without volunteers!