Great Field Trip Opportunity

School Groups are Welcome At The Fair

Thousands of Maine students and chaperones visited the Fair for free last year. (Click for larger photo view.)

MOFGA is excited to offer lots of fun and educational things for school groups to do at the Fair.

As you may know, MOFGA always opens the gates of the Fair to school groups of any grade level, including homeschoolers, and their teachers and chaperones for FREE on Friday.

The procedure for school groups is as follows:

1. Follow the traffic signs to the school bus parking area in the North Parking Lot as you approach the fairgrounds.
2. Enter through the dedicated School Group Entrance at the Rose (North) Gate.
3. Present a letter on your school letterhead indicating your group size (students, teachers, and chaperones) to the host at the School Group entrance.

That's it! There is no need to pre-register or order passes in advance.

Travel Stipends 
Sponsored by the Maine Ag in the Classroom Program

MOFGA and MAITCA recognize how tight school field trip budgets are and appreciates the additional costs incurred by school groups traveling to the Fair. We are happy to be able to offer travel stipends to help defray these costs.

Stipends are available at a rate of $0.75 per mile for full size school buses, $0.40/mile for vans, and $0.25/mile for homeschool vehicles 

Your school can claim travel reimbursement in one of 2 ways: 

Through this online form;

or by filling out and returning this paper form:

2010 Common Ground Country Fair
School Group travel report and reimbursement request


The SCHOOL ZONE

We have added a new Resource Area this year, where teachers, parents, and administrators can get information and meet representatives from organizations and initiatives working on school gardens, farm to school projects, agricultural education, and schoolground greening.  Educators should plan to spend a few moments in this tent, which will be conveniently located directly inside the school group entrance.

Participants in the School Zone include:
Ferry Beach Ecology School
Maine Farm Enterprise Schools
Cultivating Community
Maine Ag in the Classroom
University of Maine Cooperative Extension
Maine School Garden Network
MOFGA
Healthy Foods from Heathy Soils
Maine Harvest Lunch
Local Sprouts
Rippling Waters Farm
Healthy Acadia
FARMS
Maine Nutrition Network