Dog trials big hit in Blue Hill Couple hosts 50th year of event as fair ends run

BLUE HILL – Jim and May Davidson haven’t been around quite as long as the Blue Hill fair itself. It only feels that way.

On Sunday, the couple celebrated their 50th year of hosting the Northeast U.S. Sheep Dog Trials, but they have no intention of calling it quits any time soon.

“We’ll do it as long as we’re able,” Jim Davidson said between announcing the results of the trials while his wife diligently kept scores.

“This is a great tribute to a couple that not only have been doing these trials for 50 years, but who are also celebrating 58 years of marriage,” fair director Rob Eaton said Monday.

The sheepdog trials, a mainstay at the “Down-To-Earth Country Fair,” as it’s advertised, took up most of Sunday and drew big crowds, including one notable spectator.

Gov. John Baldacci, at the fair to generate support as his bid for re-election approaches, took a moment to honor the Davidsons for their longevity and to recognize the fair itself.

“I was on the house agricultural committee for eight years, and people used to say I didn’t know which end of the cow the milk comes out of,” the governor quipped. “I would answer, ‘Just pour it out of the bottle.'”

The governor stayed to watch the trials briefly, which have grown over the years from a local event to a national draw.

One of the participants, Dee Woessner of Massachusetts, brought her two dogs, Joy and Spot, to the trials for the fourth consecutive year.

“This is a real nice trial and a great fair,” Woessner said Sunday while waiting for another trial to begin. “The Davidsons are just incredible people.”

For the uninitiated, the trials start when the sheep, tucked away in a pen like sardines in a can, are let loose three at a time. Then a lone sheepdog – a border collie, to be precise – with instructions from his or her handler tries to herd them through a series of obstacles and into another pen. The dogs are scored and timed.

Woessner’s two dogs fared OK. Spot scored 19 out of 21 points and finished in 2 minutes, 21 seconds. Joy didn’t have as much luck and didn’t finish before the 4-minute time limit.

“I think she might be a little sick,” Woessner said of her 9-year-old canine.

The sheepdog trials weren’t the only thing going on at the fair.

The midway was packed from Friday through Monday with patrons sampling food, trying their hand at games and enjoying the many rides. What sets the Blue Hill Fair apart from others, according to Eaton, is the agricultural displays, the horse pulls and, simply, the variety.

“We seem to draw the same numbers just about every year,” Eaton said, predicting about 5,000 fair-goers each day. “There seems to be something for everyone, and we’ve really tried to appeal to everyone.”

Eaton said a large crowd was starting to gather late Monday, shortly before country music star Chely Wright was set to take the stage.