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Traveling in Comfort to the Fair

© Lynne A. Williams

Every fall, the Common Ground Fair is held in Unity, Maine. Sponsored by the Maine Organic Growers and Farmers Association, this fair is the annual venue for those of us who value healthy food, social justice and alternative energy sources. Attendance at the fair increases every year, as do the traffic jams in this rural area of the state. One morning during last year's fair there was a six-mile traffic jam snaking back from the entrance.

As would be expected, an association that promotes alternative energy sources encourages attendees to take alternative means of transportation to the fair. Biking is encouraged, and a group of high school students developed and traveled by the "Bean Bus", a bus that runs off "biodiesel fuel" made from soybeans.

The Belfast & Moosehead Lake Railroad Company

Not surprisingly, I took the train, although the "Bean Bus" sounded like fun too. The Belfast & Moosehead Lake Railroad Company makes a special round trip run on fair days, from Belfast on the mid-coast up to Unity, site of the fair. This excursion rail company is the country's sixth oldest continually operating railroad. Chartered in 1867, the original plan included extending the line from Belfast all the way to Moosehead Lake, in the North Woods region. However, after installing 33 miles of track, the company ran out of money and the rest of the line was never built.

The railroad became a local short line, carrying passengers to their connections with larger rail lines, until 1960, when the Maine Central Railroad stopped taking passengers. Today the railroad is taking passengers again, this time on enjoyable and creative excursion trips, either in one of its diesel locomotives, built in the 1940's, or in its beautiful Swedish-built steam locomotive, the "Spirit of Unity," built in 1913.

The trip to the fair was a relaxed two-hour ride, through coastal woodlands, evergreen forests and riparian watershed. Unless you are an off the trail hiker, you would rarely see such beautiful scenery, complete with birds and small wildlife just sitting along the tracks watching the train go by. This train is slow, so there is no scary horn and speeding train to scatter the animals. The train brought the visitors right into the fair, at a discount entrance price. A great value for an enjoyable and relaxing excursion.

In addition to the annual trips to the Common Ground Fair, the railroad offers a trip out of Belfast which combines a 90- minute tour through coastal woodlands with a 90-minute cruise of Penobscot Bay. Both the train ride and the cruise offer travelers (and those of us who are lucky enough to live here) a unique and comfortable way to tour the region.

Tesslynn Poster

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