The Northern Maine Fair has been recognized by the International Association of Fairs and Expos in which they received three first-place awards for their Lil Lumberjacks at the Fair exhibit in Salt Lake City, Utah during an awards ceremony held at the IAFE National Convention on November 29.
The award category that the Northern Maine Fair applied for was “a newly established program/exhibit at your fair which promotes agriculture or a current agricultural issue to the fair-going public.” They were awarded the winner of this category for fairs with annual attendance of less than 100,000. The Agricultural Awards contest received 525 entries, showcasing many exhibits and programs from fairs of all sizes. The 13 categories within the Agricultural Awards are divided into five divisions by fair attendance. After submission, entries are judged based on predetermined criteria by IAFE committees. Judges include industry professionals both within and outside of the IAFE membership.
“Our members strive to keep the agriculture tradition and industry alive at global events. Here at the IAFE, we are proud to showcase those members’ achievements during our 2023 awards ceremony,” said Anna Wilson, membership development coordinator for IAFE. In addition to winning the category that was applied for the Northern Maine Fair was also selected as best in their division of fairs with less than 100,000 attendance from all 13 categories. Of the 525 entries received from fairs of all sizes and all categories, the Northern Maine Fair was selected as best overall entry. The IAFE consists of 1,100 fairs from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Australia.
Shawn Bugbee, chair of the Lil Lumberjacks at the Fair, traveled to the IAFE National Convention held in Salt Lake City, Utah November 26-29 to accept the awards and give a presentation about Lil Lumberjacks at the Fair. Bugbee said, “To be recognized at this level for all of the hard work that went into creating the Lil Lumberjacks at the Fair says a lot about the great group of volunteers that put countless hours over the past two years into creating this exhibit. None of it would be possible without the generosity of the many sponsors that donated to this interactive exhibit promoting the forest products industry.”
Modeled after the fair’s highly successful Lil’ Farmers interactive exhibit which started in 2011, as a way for children to learn about the variety of different sectors in agriculture while providing a fun experience for children, the Lil’ Lumberjacks exhibit focuses on Maine’s forest industry and the various products that are utilized from trees. Highlights of the exhibit include: a treehouse library consisting of books for children about forests, nature, and wildlife; a maple sugar shack, learning how Advantech is made at Huber Engineered Woods; learning about tree growth rings, the trees of Maine, and hardwood lumber produced locally in the Seven Islands Land Company and Maine Woods Company building; fire safety from Maine Forest Rangers; forest operations, wildlife, and hunter safety in the Farm Credit East building; many games and fun activities, and a campground where children get to make a s’mores after their journey through the Lil Lumberjacks at the Fair. After two years Lil Lumberjacks has become a new fair favorite at the Northern Maine Fair.
The Northern Maine Fair Association is a non-profit corporation 501(c)(3) comprised of over 600 lifetime members and governed by a 39 member Board of Trustees. The 169th Northern Maine Agricultural Fair will be held from Wednesday, July 31 to Sunday, August 4, 2024.
