UNITY — It’s here. Ayuh, it is. Although the trees may not be showing it just yet, a sure sign that autumn is not too far away is the arrival of the Common Ground Country Fair weekend, Friday, Sept. 19 through Sunday, 21.

The three-day fair is one of the most popular early fall destinations for visitors and locals alike, with nearly 60,000 making the trek to Unity in western Waldo County. Almost the entire fair is held outside in the open, or under cover in a tent or barn, and usually, foul weather has no bearing on fair goers' motivation to get out and enjoy the varied experience.

This year, as always, the Common Ground Country Fair is being held the third weekend after Labor Day. And this year, there are more than 1,400 vendors, exhibitors and speakers.

The variety of vendors, exhibitors and speakers offers attendees' opportunities to learn more about things they love, learn new things, get involved or simply sit back and enjoy all the fair has to offer.

This year's keynote speakers are Chaitanya York (Friday, 11 a.m.), a founding Common Ground Country Fair director who will speak on finding common ground with history, acknowledgements and perspective; Ben Falk (Saturday, 11 a.m.), who will speak of farm and homestead resiliency; and Andre Leu (Sunday, 11 a.m.), who will speak on the myth of safe pesticides.

There is no way to adequately preview all of the events happening all three days, so it's best to check out the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association website. There you will find myriad details on what, when and where.

The Fair's online schedule is broken down by date and time, but then also by activity, focus or subject matter. For example, each day has vendors, activities and/or demonstrations geared toward children and the community, farming and homesteading, health and wellness, herbs, livestock, bikes and pedal power, social and political as well as policy and politics, music and dance, traditional arts, sustainable buildings and energy, whole life, and young Maine, to name a smattering.

By signing up or logging in, you can bookmark your favorites and sync them to your phone or calendar. You can also sort and filer the schedule by topics of interest, whether it's all the things geared for kids, all the things related to the environment or all the activities happening in the Exhibition Hall.

Areas of the Fair include:
• Agricultural Demonstrations
• Agricultural Products
• Children's Area & Garden Parade
• Common Kitchen
• Composting & Recycling
• Country Kitchen Demos
• Crafts
• Energy & Shelter
• Entertainment
• Environmental Concerns
• Exhibition Hall
• Farm & Homestead
• Farmers' Market
• Fiber Marketplace
• Fleece Tent
• Folk Arts
• Food
• Health & Healing
• Herb Tent
• Livestock
• Low Impact Forestry
• Maine Fiber Farms
• Maine Marketplace
• Maine Stoneworkers' Guild
• Media
• Maine Indian Basketmakers
• Social & Political Action
• Common Ground Country Fair Speakers and Presenters
• Wednesday Spinners
• Whole Life Tent
• Youth Enterprise Zone
• Young Maine

Saturday at 2 p.m. on the Spotlight Stage will host the Public Policy Teach-In: Antibiotics and Your Dinner Plate. In a nutshell, a panel discussion will talk about antibiotic resistant bacteria, "super bacteria," what it means for our health and the health of livestock, and what any of us can do about it.

MOFGA Public Policy Committee member Dr. Nancy Ross will moderate the Teach-In and the speakers include:

Dr. Stephen Sears, chief of staff and a member of the senior management team at the VA Maine Healthcare System at Togus. Sears most recently served as Maine's state epidemiologist. He is an infectious disease physician by training and has combined a career of both clinical and administrative medicine. He has been active on many volunteer boards focused on public health in Maine.

Dr. Don Hoenig, who has served as Maine's state veterinarian for most of his career and oversaw all livestock and poultry health, especially diseases relating to human health. Hoenig, now retired from the state veterinarian post, continues to consult with Maine farmers and raise public awareness of problems associated with overuse of antibiotics in livestock.

Dr. Jennifer Obadia, a New England coordinator for the Healthy Food in Health Care Program of the global coalition, Health Care Without Harm. Obadia conducts research with Farm-to-Institution New England and coordinates the Massachusetts Convergence Partnership. A major initiative of Health Care Without Harm is reduction of antibiotic use in animal agriculture.

Alice Percy, with her husband, Rufus, operates MOFGA certified organic Treble Ridge Farm in Whitefield, where they raise pigs, make hay and grow grain, vegetables and strawberries. An advocate for organic farmers, Percy graduated from Colby College with a degree in environmental science. She is vice president of the MOFGA board of directors and has served on MOFGA's Public Policy Committee for many years, focusing much of her volunteer time reporting on the work of Maine's Board of Pesticides Control.

Activities and events include:
• 5K Foot Race
• Donkey and Mule Show
• Draft Horse Show
• Harry S. Truman Games
• Fleece Show
• Sheep Dog Demonstrations

 For those who are new to the fair, plan to spend a lot of time outside and on your feet, moving from place to place. Fair goers are also encouraged to be prepared for the elements.

Following are a few items organizers recommend you bring to the Fair:
• Water bottles. Good hydration is key to enjoying a long day outside. There is clean drinking water available on-site and special bottle filling faucets in numerous locations available to refill bottles.
• A hat, light raincoat and/or wind shell. Dressing in weather appropriate clothes and wearing comfortable footwear, such as sneakers, suitable for lots of walking, are also advised. Late September in Maine can dish out a wide mix of weather –warm, cold, blustery, rainy.
• A non-toxic sunscreen. When the sun is out there's more sun than shade on the Fairgrounds. Take care of that skin of yours.

For more information, visit mofga.org/thefair.

Editorial Director Holly S. Edwards can be reached at hollyedwards@penbaypilot.com or 706-6655.