Great Field Trip Opportunity
School Groups are Welcome At The Fair
MOFGA is excited to offer lots of fun and educational things for school groups to do at the Fair.
As you may know, MOFGA always opens the gates of the Fair to school groups of any grade level, including homeschoolers, and their teachers and chaperones for FREE on Friday.
The procedure for school groups is as follows:
- Follow the traffic signs to the school bus parking area in the North Parking Lot as you approach the fairgrounds.
- Enter through the dedicated School Group Entrance at the Rose (North) Gate.
- Present a letter on your school letterhead indicating your group size (students, teachers, and chaperones) to the host at the School Group entrance.
That's it! There is no need to pre-register or order passes in advance.
download this schedule in pdf format
School Garden Panel Discussion
Are you interested in learning more about starting or improving a school garden, or do you have insights to share from you own experiences? Join us for a School Garden Panel Discussion on Friday at noon in the HayLoft Tent. Featured speakers will include:
Elizabeth Patten, Maine School Garden Network
Richard Rudolph, Rippling Waters Farm
Sam Levin, Youth Keynote Speaker
Heather Whitaker, Gorham Middle School
Teacher Resource Area
We have added a new Teacher Resource Area this year, where teachers, parents, and administrators can get information and meet representatives from organizations and initiatives working on school gardens, farm to school projects, agricultural education, and schoolground greening. Educators should plan to spend a few moments in this tent, which will be conveniently located directly inside the school group entrance.
Participants in the Resource Area include:
Ferry Beach Ecology School
Maine Farm Enterprise Schools
Cultivating Community
Maine Ag in the Classroom
University of Maine Cooperative Extension
Maine School Garden Network
MOFGA
Healthy Foods from Heathy Soils
Maine Harvest Lunch
Local Sprouts
Rippling Waters Farm
Healthy Acadia
FARMS
Maine Nutrition Network
Travel Stipends
MOFGA recognizes how tight school field trip budgets are and appreciates the additional costs incurred by school groups traveling to the Fair. We are happy to be able to offer travel stipends to help defray these costs.
Stipends are available at a rate of $0.75 per mile for full size school buses and $0.40/mile for vans
To claim travel reimbursement, follow the instructions on this form:
2009 Common Ground Country Fair
School Group travel report and reimbursement request
For more information about the Fair or travel stipends, or to request copies of the Fairbook, please call the MOFGA office at 207-568-4142 or email MOFGA.