Expanded music festival brings crowds to P.I. fair Nine days of performances scheduled on three stages

PRESQUE ISLE – While the midway rides – or the lack thereof – are the talk of the town at the 152nd annual Northern Maine Agricultural Fair and Music Festival, organizers say many activities, and one nine-day event in particular, are helping to draw crowds.

Fair officials are hosting an expanded music festival this year between July 28 and Aug. 5, with a different genre every night as well as two full stages and a mobile stage so two or three acts can perform at the same time on the fairgrounds.

The festival is helping to offset the effects of this year’s abbreviated midway. Less than half of the contracted 25 midway rides had been inspected and were up and running Wednesday afternoon because about 15 trucks carrying the carnival equipment have been impounded by the state police for safety violations. As well, the trucking company that was transporting the items had its state license suspended in June.

Despite the unfortunate situation, festival chairman Kevin McCartney said this week that the second annual festival is featuring a lot of music, a lot of local talent, and some decent-sized crowds to watch it all.

“If the rides were there, we would have had more people, I’m sure,” McCartney said about the first few days of the festival. “But we’re doing good. What’s interesting about the music festival is it’s bringing in people who otherwise wouldn’t have been thinking about going to the fair.”

The music festival was first held at the fair last year, offering seven days of music on one formal stage. It was done as part of an ongoing effort by fair officials to “build up” the agricultural, historical and musical elements of the fair.

McCartney said festival organizers “winged it” the first year with a small amount of funding and a lot of volunteer effort. They brought in local musicians for budgetary purposes, but also to showcase local talent. They’ve stuck with that philosophy this year, too, though they did bring in some acts from away, including the Portland-based Half Moon Jug Band.

Last year, the two most popular nights were gospel and bluegrass performances, so organizers decided to host two nights of each of those genres. On opening night on Friday, the festival featured bluegrass music on the indoor stage in the Commercial Building and gospel music outdoors.

On Saturday, a crowd of about 100 turned out for performances by Aroostook Idol contestants. Crowds were treated to country music on Sunday, traditional folk on Monday, gospel on Tuesday, and bluegrass Wednesday. Organizers expected to put on a fiddle night Thursday, a rock ‘n’ roll night Friday following a headliner appearance by country music recording artist Julie Roberts, and contradancing and a teen rock night on the last night of the fair on Saturday.

Music acts interspersed throughout the week include Vince Albert and His Nashville Sound, which is performing five nights during the fair, and karaoke with Fireman Fred.

McCartney and other local organizers are in hopes that this is the beginning of a full-fledged music festival.

“This year, we are building a base of sponsors and volunteers. We would like to increase over the next four or five years, and for each year to be twice as good as the previous year,” McCartney said.

One reason he believes the festival can be so successful is because “the only cost for all this music is $6 to get in at the gate.”

“If you haven’t been to the fair in a few years, come on back,” McCartney said. “People have been working really, really hard to make it something that everyone can enjoy.”