Skowhegan’s loss

Anyone who has ever enjoyed an August afternoon at the Skowhegan State Fair may have choked back tears Wednesday morning after learning a 19-year-old arsonist had allegedly gone on a late-night rampage, burning to the ground the wooden grandstand, exhibition building and vehicles stored inside.

Police Chief Butch Asselin estimated the loss in excess of $1 million. Historians and long-time residents, however, will proabably never be able to fully value the loss of landmarks they regarded as family friends.

Yesterday’s detailed coverage of the disaster by reporters Brenda Seekins and Walter Griffin, and the photography of Anthony Robert La Penna, made clear the instutution, the oldest continuously running fair in the nation, has put Skowhegan on the map since its founding in 1818, five years before the town was founded. Local historian Herb Paradis lamented the loss of a national institution. “This was the state fair of Maine and was it biggest attraction for more than 150 years,” he said.

The towering grandstand, painstakingly restored for $300,000 by the late Paul Tewksbury, is irreplaceable, as is Constitution Hall. But typical of the spirit of the state fair, authorities are determined that the 181th edition of the fair continue as usual this summer, even if spectators have to sit on temporary bleachers.

Adding to the distress is the fact that Skowhegan’s wooden grandstand, like those at Union, Blue Hill and other Maine fairgrounds, was grandfathered for as long as it remained in good condition, but now that it is gone, replacing it will be a costly proposition.

In the sultry heat this August, fairgoers should pause while downing their doughboys and enjoying a ride on the Tilt-a-Whirl and remember the March night when Skowhegan lost a part of its character, endangering nearby residences and the lives of many firefighters. That was one thrill show the state fair could have done without.