General Guidelines

GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR THE COMMON GROUND COUNTRY FAIR

Each year, the Common Ground Country Fair (CGCF) takes place on the third weekend (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) after Labor Day. The following guidelines apply to all people attending the Fair in any capacity.

The CGCF does not permit pets on the fairgrounds or in the Fair parking areas. Animals tied to trees or cars, or left within vehicles (whether locked or not), may be removed by the local animal control officer.
Smoking is prohibited in the following areas of the Fair: the Children's Area; the shuttle and wagon rides; the food preparation and service area; all buildings including barns and all tents.
Fair participants may not build fires without written permission from the CGCF office.
The CGCF strictly enforces Maine laws prohibiting public drinking of alcohol and use of illegal drugs on the fairgrounds and in the Fair parking lots.
The CGCF prohibits from the fairgrounds audio and video devices audible to the general public unless they are part of a CGCF-approved demonstration.
Fair participants may not feed livestock or other display animals unless they are tending their own animals.
Fair participants may not litter.
Fair participants may not bring skateboards, bicycles or other unauthorized wheeled vehicles on the fairgrounds.
The CGCF office assumes no liability for damage to or loss of personal property.

GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR
DEMONSTRATORS, EXHIBITORS AND VENDORS AT THE FAIR

Henceforth, the words “vendor” and “vendors” refer to “demonstrator(s)” and “exhibitor(s)”.

Guidelines for Application Process

A non-refundable $5.00 application fee must accompany each application (with the exception of Crafts, Entertainment, Livestock and Youth Enterprise Zone applications) for booth space at the Common Ground Country Fair (CGCF). The Crafts application fee is $10.00. There is no application fee for the Livestock Area or the Youth Enterprise Zone.
Area Coordinators determine application deadlines for respective areas. The Crafts Area Coordinators do not accept applications postmarked after their established deadline. Other Area Coordinators process timely applications before late applications, allocating space first to timely applicants. Late applicants receive left over space if available.
A late fee will be applied to late applications for areas other than the Crafts Area. Area Coordinators may make exceptions to the late fee guideline if the CGCF office does not mail out applications in a timely manner.
The CGCF Steering Committee will not consider late applications that are controversial or questionable under existing area guidelines.
Area Coordinators review vendor applications each year, and give preference to vendors in good standing who meet respective area guidelines. The “vendor in good standing” guideline does not apply to areas where juries review applications for quality.
Failure to meet application and/or contract fee deadlines may result in forfeiture of booth location and/or booth space.
Area Coordinators, in consultation with the Fair Steering Committee, may refuse to accept any vendor who does not meet the Guidelines of MOFGA, the CGCF, or the Area itself.
The CGCF office does not grant vendors exclusive rights to sell any particular item. While the CGCF does not solicit duplication of sale items or presentations, Area Coordinators occasionally allow it.
Vendors must reside in Maine, and represent Maine-based businesses or organizations. The CGCF accepts goods and services not made in Maine if they are important to the quality of rural living, and are not yet available from a Maine-based business or organization.
Vendors must list on their application all items and services that they wish to sell. Items and services listed on the application must relate directly to the area to which the vendor applies. The CGCF will not permit the sale of items not listed or approved on the applications. The CGCF requires vendors to remove such items from booths immediately. Vendors may not take orders for display items that are not approved for sale. The CGCF may expel from the Fair vendors who fail to comply with, or repeatedly violate, this guideline.
Area Coordinators give preference to applicants who make their products with sustainably harvested, natural resources from Maine. When a product made in Maine depends upon materials or components from elsewhere, its approval will depend upon the need it fills, the value added by the Maine worker who makes it, and the source of the materials or components. Examples of products not made in Maine but acceptable if they contribute to the quality of rural living are: books; farming and gardening tools; cotton fabric; soil supplements; hardware; animal feeds; home heating units for renewable energy sources; tractors, rototillers, and accessories. Examples of unacceptable products not made in Maine are: those making no essential contribution to the quality of rural living; those detracting from Maine’s becoming more self-sufficient; or those that exploit producers or consumers.
Vendors may sell their own business T-shirts, but may not sell T-shirts of other businesses or organizations. The CGCF restricts sales of other promotional products.
Vendors may not share booth space. Each business or organization must apply for booth space separately.
Vendors needing any amount of electricity must fill out electricity request forms and return them to the CGCF office by the contract deadline. Vendors needing electricity in excess of an amount designated by the CGCF Electrical Coordinator must pay for it. Payment is due by the respective area contract deadline.
Vendors wishing to be listed in the Fairbook Directory of Fair Participants must fulfill contract or registration obligations by respective area deadlines.
Applicants must answer all questions on their area application forms. Area coordinators may ask applicants for clarification on questions answered unclearly. Area coordinators reserve the right to reject applicants who fail to provide requested clarification.
The CGCF does not accept applications from network or multi-level marketing businesses.

Guidelines for Participation in the Fair

Vendors agree to make no misrepresentations, implicit or explicit, about the nature of their businesses, the nature of their products and services offered, or their ethnic and/or cultural backgrounds.
All MOFGA-certified growers and processors get a $10/day reduction in vendor booth fees for all areas of the CGCF.
All food served or sold at the CGCF must meet the Food Area guidelines.
Smoking is prohibited in the following areas of the Fair: the Children's Area; the shuttle and wagon rides; the food preparation and service area; all buildings including barns and all tents.
The CGCF assigns booth spaces to vendors. Vendors may not change booth location or designated boundaries of any booth space. Vendors must place all supports within the boundaries of their assigned booth spaces.
Vendors must restrict their activities to their booth spaces. The CGCF prohibits hawking of wares.
Vendor contracts are for space only. The CGCF does not supply tables, chairs, etc. Vendors should prepare for dirt/grass floors in tents and outside vendor locations.
Vendors assume all risk for their property. Neither the CGCF nor MOFGA will be responsible for any loss or damage from any cause.
The CGCF provides electricity to vendors in most areas who have requested and paid for it in their contractual agreements. Vendors must bring suitable panels, cords and outlet strips to meet their needs. The CGCF encourages electricity conservation. Using Compact Florescent Lights (CFL) will cut consumption dramatically.
Water is available only in certain areas of the fairgrounds. Vendors needing water must contact their area coordinator to determine whether the CGCF can meet their needs.
Vendors may set up booths all day Thursday before the Fair weekend, or before 8:00 a.m. on Friday of the Fair. Vendors needing to set up before Thursday should make arrangements with their Area Coordinators.
The CGCF restricts vehicle movement on the fairgrounds. The CGCF prohibits vehicles from entering the fairgrounds after 8:00 a.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. All vehicles already on the fairgrounds must exit by 8:30 a.m. Vehicles may return to the fairgrounds at 9:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday, on Sunday all Vendors must wait till the Fair Safety Coordinator gives permission to move onto the grounds when all Fairgoers have left.
Vendors must set up booths and be ready for business by 8:45 a.m. each day of the Fair.
Vendors must make their booths as attractive as possible. Vendors may not use plastics (clear, colored and poly-tarps) in the construction of booths. The only exception to this is rip-stop nylon. Preferred materials include canvas, denim, and cotton. Vendors may cover booths with plastic tarps at night, but must remove them by 8:00 a.m. daily.
Any ingestibles (even free samples) must adhere to the Food Area Guidelines of the CGCF.
Vendors must obtain permission from the fairgrounds Supervisor before digging any holes. Vendors must fill in holes before leaving the fairgrounds.
Vendors should prepare for inclement weather. Vendors should contact their area coordinator if puddle problems occur. Area coordinators will contact Fair, Grounds Personnel or the office to address the problem.
Any vendor using cooking equipment must have a 40 BC-minimum fire extinguisher. Any vendor who serves food must have a 20 BC-minimum fire extinguisher. The CGCF encourages all vendors to obtain 40 BC-minimum extinguishers. The Fire Marshall requires that propane tanks be secured firmly on a hard, non-combustible surface, i.e. cement blocks, tin, etc. Vendors must supply their own surface on which to secure tanks -- the ground alone does not qualify. The Fire Marshall will check for compliance.
The CGCF provides a limited number of gate passes for vendors. Vendors in the Food Area receive one pass per frontage foot of booth space for the weekend. All other vendors receive a maximum of nine passes per booth for the weekend. Each pass is valid for one person for one day. The CGCF urges vendors to plan accordingly, and to request only as many passes as needed for people who staff booths. Vendors may purchase tickets in advance from the Fair office if needed. Ticket prices are $10.00 for adults, and $8.00 for senior citizens (ages 65 and over). Admission is free for children (ages 12 and under) and for MOFGA members.
Vendors must staff their booths for the duration of the Fair -- from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, or risk sanctions from Area Coordinators.
Vendors should bring an adequate amount of food or merchandise to last through the entire Fair or risk sanctions from Area Coordinators.
The CGCF prohibits raffles on the fairgrounds.
Volunteer tents and kitchen facilities are for use by CGCF volunteers only.
The CGCF prohibits vendor camping on the fairgrounds. Vendors who sleep in their booths must contact the Fair office to get permission forms. Vendors must attach the forms to the outside of their booths.
Vendors must break down and clean cardboard boxes of tape, staples, etc., tie them in bundles, and take them to the CGCF recycling area or they may bring them home.
Vendors must separate all the trash they generate into compostable/non-compostable waste piles, and take the waste to the CGCF recycling area. Vendors must separate out plastic bags used to hold ice.
Vendors must take their entire booths -- including carpets, display racks, storage containers, and decorations -- home with them. All booths must be taken down by Monday night unless special arrangements have been made with the vendor’s Area Coordinator.
The CGCF may dismiss any vendor failing to abide by the guidelines for booth set-up, staffing, and break-down.
The CGCF makes no refunds in the event of inclement weather.
The CGCF makes no refunds for cancellations made after August 1.
Vendors are responsible for reporting earnings and workers’ pay to the IRS and the State of Maine. The State of Maine requires the CGCF to send a list of commercial vendors and their tax ID numbers to the state tax office. The CGCF does not disclose information about vendor earnings.
In the event of a dispute, the decision of the CGCF officials will be accepted as final.
MOFGA, doing business as the CGCF, disclaims any authority of control over the operation of vendors. Vendors assume all rights and responsibilities for the conduct of their operations including, but not limited to: obtaining liability and general coverage insurance for vendor-related activities; and adhering to all local and state ordinances and regulations. MOFGA does not have separate vendor coverage under any insurance it may maintain.