It’s that time of year again.

The nights are a little cooler. Youngsters try hard to put off the thought that school will begin soon, and block out remembrances of pencils and schoolbooks with the scents of doughboys, cotton candy and french fries mingled with the sound of livestock, carnival rides and music.

It’s time again for the Blue Hill Fair.

The fair opens at 4 p.m. Thursday and runs through Labor Day, Sept. 3, and, according to Rob Eaton, the president of the Hancock County Agricultural Society, it promises traditional favorite activities and shows along with a few new attractions.

“I have a good feeling about it this year. Things seem to be falling into place,” Eaton said. “The directors and I are very excited about the fair. We just hope the weather cooperates so people can enjoy it.”

The standout new feature this year will be the antique tractor pull, put on by the Maine Antique Tractor Club during the first day of the fair.

“All the tractors must be 1960 or older in vintage, and they have to be stock tractors,” Eaton said. “I saw the tractor pull at a fair in Vermont and they drew a heck of a crowd out there. It’s kind of fun and you have to see it to appreciate it.”

All the pullers must be members of the antique tractor club. There will be 10 classes ranging from 2,500 pounds to unlimited.

The antique tractor pull will start at about 5 p.m. Thursday, the first day of the fair. Eaton said the event will not take the place of the traditional horse and oxen pulls, which are scheduled throughout the fair.

Returning to the fair this year will be the Fernald Lumber Yankee Hitch, one of the last remaining big hitches pulled by a team of six Belgian horses. They’ll do demonstrations every day of the fair and the team of horses will be on display all day.

“This is a real quality show with quality people running it,” Eaton said. “They’re just great people. They’ll sit there and talk with you about the hitch and the horses all day if you want to.”

The directors have added a few new food vendors to the midway this year in an effort to “upgrade” the food offerings there, but there will still be plenty of traditional fair goodies to satisfy the fried dough and sausage palate.

The fair will offer a wristband special from 4 to 9 p.m. Monday, the last day of the fair. The $12 wristband provides admission to all the mechanical rides.

The Blue Hill Fair remains a country fair and still features a variety of livestock shows, including goats, sheep,and dairy and beef cattle. There will be a wool display, a butter-making demonstration, and a llama demonstration.

Entertainment at the fair will include some familiar faces as well as new performers. Maine’s rising country artist Jenny Paquette will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, and country star Joe Diffie will perform tunes from his latest CD at 6 p.m. Monday to close out the fair.

Perennial favorites Rick Charette and the Bubble Gum Band and the Toyota Hollywood Stunt Show will round out the entertainment portion of the fair. The auto stunt show is the only feature that costs extra. There is a $2 grandstand fee for the show.

Eaton said organizers scheduled the traditional fireworks display for Sunday night but may have to cancel it because of the dry conditions in the area.

Admission to the fair on Thursday is $5 for adults and $3 for seniors. During the rest of the weekend, admission is $6 for adults and $4 for seniors. Children under 12 are free on all days. There is free parking on the fairgrounds.