Cloudy Grounds: a Saturday at Common Ground 2012
Lyndsey Marston, winning artist of this year's Common Ground poster design competition.
Into the woods.
Eli Berry, owner of Hand Powered Forestry Tools and coordinator for Low Impact Forestry Group.
At the gates.
Herbal tea blends from Singing Nettle Farm, a horse powered, off-the-grid, organic farm in Brooks.
A display of garden treats from Singing Nettle Farm.
A fairgoer examines the map.
Dusty Dowes of the Maine Grain Alliance makes free bread samples.
Cloudy Grounds.
Nowhere is safe from the occupy movement.
Will, of the advocacy group Medical Marijuana Caregivers of Maine.
Matt Murphy and Chris Starks, of WERU Community Radio.
The masses desire food ...
... And consume it.
Fair merch.
AgNO₃ Labs tin type photo banner looks over fairgoers.
Timothy of AgNO₃ Labs demonstrating and selling his Civil War era tin type photography.
The mighty Jake Greenlaw of Toughcats.
Toughcats celebrate their sixth year at Common Ground as well as the release of their new album, Woodenball.
Volunteer powered!
Bike Parade.
Horse demonstrations at the round pen.
Half Dexter, half Jersey heifer, Millie, enjoying her first year at Common Ground.
Jim and Mike, of Jefferson.
Kim McArthur, of the Western Maine Rabbit Breeders Association, spins Angora fiber. McArthur and the breeders were celebrating their fourth year at Common Ground.
Sheepherding demonstrations.
Onions.
More onions!
Buttercup squash.
A plethora of pumpkins.
Prize peppers.
A harvest spread of agricultural produce.
Musician Devon Cole, aka Earth Person, sells his new album to fairgoers.
The grounds.
Outside of the MOFGA tent.
Molly B. Samuels, of Belfast, enjoys some fairground french fries.
Lyndsey Marston, winning artist of this year's Common Ground poster design competition.
Into the woods.
Eli Berry, owner of Hand Powered Forestry Tools and coordinator for Low Impact Forestry Group.
At the gates.
Herbal tea blends from Singing Nettle Farm, a horse powered, off-the-grid, organic farm in Brooks.
A display of garden treats from Singing Nettle Farm.
A fairgoer examines the map.
Dusty Dowes of the Maine Grain Alliance makes free bread samples.
Cloudy Grounds.
Nowhere is safe from the occupy movement.
Will, of the advocacy group Medical Marijuana Caregivers of Maine.
Matt Murphy and Chris Starks, of WERU Community Radio.
The masses desire food ...
... And consume it.
Fair merch.
AgNO₃ Labs tin type photo banner looks over fairgoers.
Timothy of AgNO₃ Labs demonstrating and selling his Civil War era tin type photography.
The mighty Jake Greenlaw of Toughcats.
Toughcats celebrate their sixth year at Common Ground as well as the release of their new album, Woodenball.
Volunteer powered!
Bike Parade.
Horse demonstrations at the round pen.
Half Dexter, half Jersey heifer, Millie, enjoying her first year at Common Ground.
Jim and Mike, of Jefferson.
Kim McArthur, of the Western Maine Rabbit Breeders Association, spins Angora fiber. McArthur and the breeders were celebrating their fourth year at Common Ground.
Sheepherding demonstrations.
Onions.
More onions!
Buttercup squash.
A plethora of pumpkins.
Prize peppers.
A harvest spread of agricultural produce.
Musician Devon Cole, aka Earth Person, sells his new album to fairgoers.
The grounds.
Outside of the MOFGA tent.
Molly B. Samuels, of Belfast, enjoys some fairground french fries.
UNITY — The Common Ground Country Fair, in Unity, wrapped up Sunday afternoon, after a long weekend with some clouds, some rain, some sun. And always? So much to see and learn. And enjoy. Belfast photographer Wes Sterrs went to the fair on Saturday, Sept. 22, with his camera. What follows are his photos, impressions of a day that draws thousands and thousands to a tiny, rural section of Maine.
Every September, the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) hosts the fair, drawing attendees from all over the world, and signaling the end to the summer growing season. MOFGA formed in 1971, and "is the oldest and largest state organic organization in the country," according to the organization.
Its mission: "to help farmers and gardeners: grow organic food, fiber and other crops; protect the environment; recycle natural resources; increase local food production; support rural communities; and illuminate for consumers the connection between healthful food and environmentally sound farming practices."
"The Organic Premise: Many people are aware that food grown according to organic principles is free from exposure to harmful herbicides and pesticides, but that is only one small aspect of organic agriculture. A larger part of organic agriculture involves the health of the soil and the ecosystem in which crops and livestock are raised. Organic farmers recognize that healthy, vibrant, and live soils and ecosystems significantly benefit crops. Natural, undisturbed soil is alive with microbiotic organisms that exist in harmony with the native plant life and the inorganic minerals that provide the soil's substrate.
"Synthetic chemicals (such as herbicides, pesticides, and/or fast acting inorganic fertilizers) applied in or around crops interrupt or destroy the microbiotic activity in the soil. Once the microbiotic activity in the soil has stopped, the soil becomes merely an anchor for plant material. In this conventional method of agriculture (in use for only the past 75 of 10,000 years of recorded agriculture) plants can receive only air, water, and sunlight from their environment -- everything else must be distributed to plants by farmers, often from inputs transported thousands of miles to reach the farm. Plants are commonly fed only the most basic elements of plant life and so are dependent on the farmer to fight nature's challenges, e.g. pests, disease, and drought."
Event Date
Address
MOFGA fairgrounds
Unity, ME
United States
