There's more than the fair to see in Fryeburg

MaineToday.com
Text by Melissa Kim

Every fall, people from all over New England descend on the fairgrounds in Fryeburg.

Here in Maine, it's hard to say "Fryeburg" without thinking "fair." Most people know this small western Maine town for its annual country fair, now in its 149th year. The fair lasts for eight days (Oct. 3 - 10 this year) and people come from all over New England to stroll the 180-plus acres of fairgrounds to gawk and applaud at events like pig scrambles, sheep dog trials, tree-felling competitions and harness racing.

But there's a lot more to Fryeburg than the fair. When you tire of looking at goats, Holsteins, shuffleboard and tractors, try exploring the rest of town and the surrounding mountains and rivers that make it a great destination in any season.

We started our day by cruising Main Street. Two roads, Rt. 5 and Rt. 302, form a T, and that's your downtown. A stone's throw from this junction, the Village Variety and Mountain View Restaurant serve as the gathering place for locals. The Village Variety is a good place to stock up on picnic supplies, fishing gear, information and, if you need one, a freshwater fishing license.

For food, we figured that any place where town cops rub elbows with senior citizens and kids from the local high school (Fryeburg Academy) was a good bet, so we went in to fortify ourselves with a hearty breakfast.

Long-time Fryeburg resident Clarence Edward Mumford, author of the Hopalong Cassidy tales, has been memorialized at the Fryeburg Library on Main Street.
Across from the Village Variety, the Fryeburg Library sits quietly in a row of small storefronts and offices, with headstones from the town cemetery peeking out between the buildings. If you're there during library hours, check out the Mulford Memorial Room. Clarence Edward Mulford, a long-time Fryeburg resident, was the author of the Hopalong Cassidy tales, the cowboy hero immortalized in such titles as "Cottonwood Gulch," "The Round Up" and "The Man from Bar 20."

We then headed out of town to explore the two things that make this area remarkable: the Saco River and the White Mountains.

Heading north on Route 5, we passed several canoe livery places and turned left down a short dead-end road to view the river itself as it cascades over Swans Falls. The Saco is a wide, tumbling river that starts in Crawford Notch and flows to the ocean. Stretches of the Saco, especially those near Fryeburg, are popular with canoeists who come to camp on the sandy beaches and swim in its clear waters.

The waters were high earlier this fall on the Saco River. We talked with head river runner Henry Neddenriep about canoeing the Saco.
There are numerous canoe livery places in Fryeburg and in Brownfield; you can either rent all the gear you need or bring your own boats and use these companies for livery. The Saco is not to be trifled with, however, and it can get very crowded in the summer. It's wise to do some research and plan your trip carefully, according to Henry Neddenriep, head river-runner with the Saco River Recreational Council. His advice: come midweek, if you can, and aim for May, June or September. We promised we'd return with our boats next spring.

The Jockey Cap Motel and General Store sits at the trailhead to the best view in town. See what we saw at the top.

Heading northeast out of town, we took the right-hand fork after Fryeburg Academy, staying on Route 302. On the left, just between the Jockey Cap General Store and the Jockey Cap Motel, is the trailhead to the Jockey Cap. More a huge lump of rock than a mountain, this peak right on the fringe of downtown Fryeburg gives terrific views of the White Mountains. That can help you plan a longer hike or walk: Pleasant Mountain, Brownfield Bog, Mount Cutler in Hiram, Kezar Lake, Sabattus Mountain in the Lovells are all lovely, or you can cross the border into the White Mountain National Forest to be totally spoiled for choice.

If canoeing and hiking seem too strenuous, this is also a great place for a nice drive in the country. There are hidden gems here, secret small treasures to be uncovered by taking side roads and going slow. Going north on Route 5, we came across a covered bridge, lots of quirky houses and wooden churches with graceful lines. We turned left on to Fish Street where the lovely old New England houses were dwarfed by their barns. Hitting Route 113, we went north until we came to a three-cornered junction at Stow, where we lunched at the Stow Corner Store.

This wonderful country store has a nice selection of fine wines and an even nicer selection of gorgeous pastries, from cannolis to chocolate chip cookies. All the cookies were buttery and rich — yes, we tried them all.

We turned back south on Route 113, crossing for a few miles into New Hampshire. This scenic drive rolls and curves through farm land where quaint B&Bs alternate with rugged shooting ranges. The farm stands all looked like picture postcards with piles of bright orange pumpkins perched perkily on bales of hay.

Route 113 loops back in to Fryeburg, and we found ourselves back on Main Street. It was hard to imagine the few hotels, B&Bs and shops jammed full of fair-goers, and we were glad to have the town and region all to ourselves, if only for a day.