Maine Fair Racing kicking into high gear!

[dougie]

Well, it's time for Maine Fair racing as the weather cools off (75 degrees now) and fans get ready for big crowds and $20 parking. All the regular drivers will be competing as fans jam the grandstands looking to sit in those hard wooden seats. As the smells of good eats moves through the stands, fans jump in and out between races to partake in some truly overpriced fare. Caramel apples, turkey legs, burgers and hotdogs, chili, and so much more lets fans stuff themselves as they wait for a concert when the sun begins to wane. As for the racing, it would seem the top two betting choices usually dont disappoint, so hitting a "big number" is tough. But it's fun to watch and chat with local owners and trainers who love talking up Maine racing. So it's time to start hitting those fairs. Maybe i'll see some of you "Plopsters" on the rail!

[chief yogi]

yes its that time again. hope for a great season of weather and hope fans do come out in full force. looks like a good card sunday with pretty full fields.

[dougie]

chief Yogi.....ready to rock & roll!

[JT]

Well, it's time for Maine Fair racing as the weather cools off (75 degrees now) and fans get ready for big crowds and $20 parking. All the regular drivers will be competing as fans jam the grandstands looking to sit in those hard wooden seats. As the smells of good eats moves through the stands, fans jump in and out between races to partake in some truly overpriced fare. Caramel apples, turkey legs, burgers and hotdogs, chili, and so much more lets fans stuff themselves as they wait for a concert when the sun begins to wane. As for the racing, it would seem the top two betting choices usually dont disappoint, so hitting a "big number" is tough. But it's fun to watch and chat with local owners and trainers who love talking up Maine racing. So it's time to start hitting those fairs. Maybe i'll see some of you "Plopsters" on the rail!

Have fun Dougie.. and cash a few tickets to cover your food expenses. Some of my best memories are riding in my Grandpa's old El Camino to the county fairs all around Ohio and watching our families horses race

[Papillon]

I would love to be able to wager on Topsham, Muskegon, Windsor, etc

but being in NJ-the only ADW we have is TVG, and they only allow me Cumberland and Bangor

I guess I should be grateful for that

[Wawajones]

Skowhegan and Windsor are my favorites.  I have not made it up to Fryberg yet.  I love the hand cut fries with malt vinegar and salt.

[Papillon]

Skowhegan and Windsor are my favorites.  I have not made it up to Fryberg yet.  I love the hand cut fries with malt vinegar and salt.

 

[JT]

Skowhegan and Windsor are my favorites.  I have not made it up to Fryberg yet.  I love the hand cut fries with malt vinegar and salt.

One of my personal favorites to during jug week. Put so much vinegar in the bottom of the cup almost falls out

[bello]

Been to them all. Skowhegan brigs back a particular memory. I went with one of my kids who was 14 at the time. Semms like I got an allergic reaction to the balcflies at Millinocket Lake while canoing. I was sick as a dog and hallucinating. I gave my car keys to my 14 year old to drive back to the camp in Millinocket.

Favorites where the now defunct Union Fair which was as rural as it gets.

And if you have not been to the Fryeburg Fair. It is a slice of heaven

[chief yogi]

all the fairs are/were great in their own way. sad to see union, oxford and northern maine stop racing. in my own way northern maine was my fav. you were so far away for a week it was a vacation. the rest i end up home and while fun they are not the same as a vacation.  blooming onion and fries are my fav.   wish we could have all the many fairs back with racing. rutland vermont rochester nh. great times.

[bello]

all the fairs are/were great in their own way. sad to see union, oxford and northern maine stop racing. in my own way northern maine was my fav. you were so far away for a week it was a vacation. the rest i end up home and while fun they are not the same as a vacation.  blooming onion and fries are my fav.   wish we could have all the many fairs back with racing. rutland vermont rochester nh. great times.

Teah, going up to Presque Isle was always a treat. One year I went from the Norhtern Fair races in Presque Isle, crossed the border into Canada the same day One lane border crossing. It was like an old toll booth in the middle of nowhere, and caught the night racing in Woodtock Maritimes.

Was that a degenerate move?  Probably but I am proud of it.

And yeah Oxford, but no grandstands.

[Papillon]

all these stories sounds like tons of fun in Maine

I have been following the Maine Sire Stakes races the last decade--but I don't have access to the fairs

it would be nice to be young and healthy again--i would spend the whole month of August touring all of them

[Locked in with pace]

Food at the fairs is awesome, but WAY WAY overpriced. Families must save up all year to go.

[chief yogi]

over priced is right.  the worst is fryeburg. 10 years ago it was affordable. now the gate and parking are the highest in the state which concedering its the biggest fair i understand. but... a few years back they changed to a out of state carnival.  one year a blooming onion was 8 the new vendors it was 15. other prices followed.
 perhaps its a lot of greed that has hurt the fair circut.  the fairgrounds are where new race fans come from. hope for a great season. weather looks good this week. go topsy. then we are off to skowvegas.

[darnoldrocks]

Used to go to many fairs up here in Canada.
They didn't have horse racing at them all, but most had bareback pony races.
They'd run it like a quarter horse race.
Line you up at the top of the track and let us go, race ending in front of a grandstand viewing box with a guy cracking jokes about the entrants and calling the race as it happened.
Imagine, nobody worried about 10 -15 year olds, flying down the track on their shetlands and welsh ponies, people and kids hanging over and under the sparce guardrails lining the track.
And there was always that prize money, making it even sweeter if you won !!!