Thousands flock to Houlton Agricultural Fair Four-day event includes parade, fireworks display

HOULTON – More than 16,000 people had passed through the gates at the Houlton Agricultural Fair as of noon Sunday, and one fair official said the four-day event was another big success.

“It’s just amazing that year after year, a town the size of Houlton can put on such a great fair and attract people from all over,” said Paul Cleary, a fair spokesman. “Even with Thursday and Friday as workdays, we still did pretty good.”

The fair began on the Fourth of July and included a parade that was seen by an estimated 10,000 people and a fireworks display that night seen by thousands again. More than 8,200 people went to the fair that day alone.

With the fair located at Community Park, the Houlton Fair Association this year used a portion of the Bird Farm fields behind Houlton High School to provide more space and more events. With the added space, mud runs and a pleasure horse show were run simultaneously with other events at the park, giving fair-goers more variety.

In addition to the rides, games and food provided by two dozen vendors, the fair also added an entertainment tent this year, which featured live events every half-hour for each of the four days, including music, a magician, marionettes and man who made figures with balloons.

A highlight of the fair on Saturday was two concerts by country band Sawyer Brown. With more moves than a kangaroo that had too much coffee, lead singer and band founder Mark Miller kept 4,000 people moving for an hour, opening with “Six Days on the Road,” to the delight of the crowd.

Occasionally teaming up with lead guitarist Duncan Cameron to gyrate, swivel and wiggle about the stage at the John Millar Civic Center, Miller entertained not only with his songs, but also with a few stories, letting the crowd know he had done his homework about the town: that it was in The County, and there were a lot of potato farmers.

He was joined onstage by bass player Jim Scholten, drummer Joe Smyth, keyboard player Greg Hubbard, and two other backup musicians.

By the end of the show, the fans had pushed forward to the stage as Miller, sweat running down his face, went up and down the stage singing, swinging and slapping hands extended from the audience.

The set ended with “Some Girls Do,” to a deafening roar of approval from the audience.

Maine’s own Jenny Paquette of Saco, a powerful country singer in her own right, was the opening act for Sawyer Brown. Backed by her North Country Band, Paquette held the audience captive as she warmed up the fans for the main show of the night.

Sawyer Brown is the biggest and most currently popular band to be booked by the Houlton Fair Association, a move fair officials admitted early on was a gamble because bigger names cost more.

According to Cleary, people from as far away as New Jersey purchased advance tickets for the show over the Internet.

“Advance tickets were the best they’ve ever been,” he said, adding that most of those were purchased by people in central and southern parts of the state.

“It’s great for businesses,” he said. “It brings a lot of people to town, even if they don’t come to the fair but just come for the fireworks and parade. It’s a positive economic boon for the area.”