Trade Fair helps kick off spring
By Scott Mitchell Johnson
Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE — With spring comes turning the clocks forward, green grass, Easter and the Agri-Business Trade Fair.
“[Attending the show] is like the rite of passage … everybody looks to the Agri-Business Trade Fair as the beginning of spring,” said Michael Bosse, executive director of the Fort Fairfield Chamber of Commerce, which hosts the event. “When you hear it being advertised and you know that it’s going on, you know that summer is right around the corner. After 31 years, it’s a tradition.”
The annual Agri-Business Trade Fair will be held March 25-27 at The Forum in Presque Isle.
“We’re expecting upwards of 50 exhibitors this year,” said Bosse. “We have everything from recreational-type equipment to farm-related equipment, agricultural-related services like the USDA, Farm Service Agency and Maine Farm Bureau, and a community market which will feature items ranging from crafts to food.
“For new vendors, this is a way to broaden their customer base,” he said. “That’s what it’s all about. For example, Windy Hill Restoration, located in Windham, offers complete farm tractor repair and restoration work. They sell antique tractor parts, so that will be a vendor that tractor aficionados would have an interest in.”
Trade fair goers will enjoy a wide variety of exhibitors and sample wares offered by many, not to mention the very popular French fries offered by the Chamber and provided by McCain Foods.
A number of demonstrations will also be held this year to make the show more interesting and interactive. The University of Maine Cooperative Extension will hold canning demonstrations and others, while the Hay Balers 4-H Club will hold both rabbit and dog demonstrations. Bosse said there may be others as they relate to the individual booths throughout the weekend.
The Agri-Business Trade Fair will be held from 4-8 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday, and noon-4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $3 for adults and $1 for children under 12.
For more information, contact Bosse at 472-3802 or log onto www.fortcc.org.
