The Fairgrounds
The Common Ground Country Fair is held on-site at MOFGA’s Common Ground Education Center in Unity, Maine. The fairgrounds consist of 250-plus acres of fields, woods and hills in rural Maine. Most of the Fair exhibits and activities take place within a 40-acre parcel around the main building. Explore this page to see a detailed map of the Fairgrounds, learn about accessibility and read our fairground guidelines.
Accessibility
MOFGA provides free admission to the Fair for persons with disabilities, as well as free admission for one aid per person with disabilities.
The Common Ground Country Fair is located on 250-plus acres of fields, woods and hills in rural Maine. Most of the Fair exhibits and activities take place within a 40-acre parcel around the main building. While we make efforts to accommodate fairgoers with mobility challenges, we want people to recognize that there are parts of the property that may be difficult to access for individuals in wheelchairs or who are dependent on canes or walkers. People with such challenges find it helpful to come with assistants who can help them get around.
Here are some tips to help you plan your visit:
- Parking — We provide accessible parking spots in both the North and South Parking Lots.
- Accessible parking in the North Lot (on the Unity side of MOFGA’s property) is near the ticket gates.
- Accessible parking in the South Lot (on the Thorndike end of MOFGA’s property) is near the tractor-pulled wagon shuttle, which transports fairgoers to the ticket gates on the south end of the fairgrounds.
- Please note that capacity in the accessible parking areas is not without limits.
These areas do fill up on occasion. Our volunteer parking crew monitors the accessible parking areas continually to fill spaces as they open up. Saturday is generally our busiest day, depending on the weather, so you might consider coming on Friday or Sunday.
Grounds and Walkways — The fairgrounds are expansive. Getting from point A to point B can take some time, especially when there are lots of people walking along with you. It’s a good idea to look at the fairgrounds map when planning your schedule for the day. There is a paved ring road that encircles The Common, the Exhibition Hall and several of the main vendor/exhibitor areas of the Fair. This road has a smooth surface and provides access, or at least a vantage point, to most areas of the Fair. This is the only paved surface on the grounds. The majority of the grounds is comprised of either turf or dirt walkways, which we attempt to keep free of rocks and divots.
Restrooms — There are accessible facilities in the bathrooms in the main building, next to the Exhibition Hall, and in the restrooms on the west side of the fairgrounds near the Poultry Barn. We also have accessible port-a-potties in several locations around the grounds. See the map in the Fairbook for specific locations.
Assistance — Please note, we do not have carts or wheelchairs available for individual fairgoer use. Members of our volunteer safety team provide assistance for fairgoers who are in distress.
Service Animals — Dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability are welcome on the Fairgrounds.
Pet Policy
Pets are strictly prohibited from the fairgrounds, parking lots (including parked cars) and camping areas.
If you are traveling long distance with your pet(s), please contact a pet kennel in the area. Here are some suggestions.
Service animals, dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, are welcome on the Fairgrounds.
- The CGCF does not permit pets on the fairgrounds or in the Fair parking areas. Read our No Pets Policy above.
- No smoking on the fairgrounds, except for the designated smoking area across from the Fair Office.
- Fair participants may not build fires without written permission from the CGCF office.
- The CGCF strictly enforces Maine laws prohibiting public drinking of alcohol and use of illegal drugs on the fairgrounds and in the Fair parking lots.
- Unauthorized possession of firearms, weapons or explosives is not allowed on the Fairgrounds.
- The CGCF prohibits from the fairgrounds audio and video devices audible to the general public unless they are part of a CGCF-approved demonstration.
- Fair participants may not feed livestock or other display animals unless they are tending their own animals.
- Fair participants may not litter.
- Fair participants may not bring skateboards, bicycles or other unauthorized wheeled vehicles on the fairgrounds.
- The CGCF office assumes no liability for damage to or loss of personal property.
