On Saturday, several young Maliseet girls were dancing in elaborate regalia they made, some with the help of the Boys and Girls Club of Maliseet. The story of the Wabanaki Nation and the Maliseets is often erased from written records and keeping it alive orally and through celebrations like Metaksonekiyak Community Day is critical to younger generations, tribal historians said. The bill would have allowed the Maine tribes to benefit from other federal laws. The Houlton Band of Maliseets has been federally recognized since October 1980, allowing it to govern its tribal affairs and obtain federal healthcare and housing assistance.Ī bi-partisan tribal sovereignty bill passed in this most recent legislative session failed with Gov. The area of the river near their tribal lands was a nexus for canoe travelers known as the place of worn moccasins because there are so many jagged rocks at that point in the river, Sabattis said. “I think you’re on track to make it better, and you have some time to do that, but if we don’t achieve some of those things, it’s not worthwhile to hold a glorified carnival.A committee selected the name, Metaksonekiyak, which means people of the Meduxnekeag River. “I think it has gotten to be a poor representation of the community,” Sprague said Monday. There’s also interest in adding new, smaller attractions such as ax throwing and wood carving, and ultimately to expand the fair’s footprint and reach in the community.Ĭouncilor Jonathan Sprague said he feels the event has degraded in recent years from a fair to a carnival, and he’d be “disinclined to continue the fair” if organizers weren’t considering ways to improve and expand the event. Next year may also have a smaller stage to feature local and regional artists from a variety of genres.Īfter the fair’s agriculture portion returned this year for the first time since the pandemic, McGrail said he’d like to bring in more livestock and add “grange style exhibits,” like baked goods competitions and quilt making. Looking ahead to next year, McGrail said fair organizers want to partner with a new provider that will commit to bringing the amount and variety of rides and food patrons want.įuture fairs may feature more day and night events in the grandstand venue, from monster truck exhibitions to antique car shows. “It’s certainly never a good thing when one of the adult rides out of the small selection they bring is broken for the entire weekend and folks are demanding refunds.”įood vendors also experienced a few hiccups this year, compared with prior years. “Thankfully they were able to get the rides back up and running, unlike prior years,” McGrail said.
Some of the fair’s most popular rides also required frequent maintenance throughout the weekend. POTENTIAL IMPACTS - WIND: Potential impacts from the main wind event are now unfolding across far Downeast Maine. This year, Smokey’s Greater Shows, which provides the fair’s carnival midway, promised fair organizers 22 rides, but delivered only 19, McGrail said. Community members are encouraged to attend Area Youth Sports football opening games on Saturday, Sept. While this year’s fair saw more visitors and higher earnings than 20, and the agriculture portion returned after being noticeably absent for the past three years, McGrail said there are plenty of improvements to be made. Sports challenge in Livermore Falls encourages more committed play.
The Bangor State Fair, which dates back to 1849, was canceled altogether in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Those years’ fairs saw an average of 14,520 patrons and earned $312,244 on average. Attendance and revenue have been slowly recovering since the pandemic, but the fair schedule was shortened to four days between 20, reducing the amount the event could earn.
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