About Oxford County, ME

This year's edition of the Fryeburg Fair, Maine's Blue Ribbon Classic, kicks off this Sunday, October 4 with a horse show, sheepdog trials, and firemen's muster and ends next Sunday, October 11th, with a heifer show, a pig scramble, and harness racing. In between, every day is chock full of plenty to see and do.

The headlining entertainment this year is Country Music Association-nominated singer Jamey Johnson. His four nominations are for Best New Artist, Single of the Year, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year.

Also performing at the Fair this week are Heartland, American Idol finalist Kristy Lee Cook, The Kokomo Beach Show, Bob Charest Band, and an evening of fiddling and bluegrass music. Each show performs free in front of the grandstand starting at 8 pm.

Here are some of the highlights for the coming week:

Monday - Woodsmen's Field Day, Ox Pulling, Horse Pulling, Skillet Throwing, and the Bob Charest Band performs at 8 pm.

Tuesday - Antique Tractor Show, Dairy Show, Blueberry Dessert Contest, and New Found Grass performs at 8 pm.

Wednesday - Draft Horse Show, Beef Show, Pig Scramble, Horse Pulling, and Heartland performs at 8 pm.

Thursday - Show of working Oxen, Ox Pulling, Apple Pie Contest, Overall Champion Sheep, and Kristy Lee Cook performs at 8 pm.

Friday - Calf scramble, Pig scramble, Ox Pulling, Swine Show, and Kokomo Beach Show performs at 8 pm followed by fireworks.

Saturday - Grand Parade and trophy presentations, many 4-H shows, and Jamey Johnson performs at 8 pm.

Admission is $8 during the week and $10 on Saturday. Children are free and seniors are free on Tuesday.

Please visit the Fryeburg Fair website at http://www.fryeburgfair.com/ to get all the information and schedules you need to have a great time at the Fair.

If you'd like to take a look at some lakefront property in Fryeburg it's as easy as clicking on the box below:

Search for lakefront properties in Fryeburg, Maine

October 1, 8 p.m. Richard Thompson on guitar, $65, Stone Mountain Arts Center, 695 Dug Way Road, Brownfield. FMI: 207.935.7292, www.stonemountainartscenter.com.

October 2, 5-8 p.m. First Friday at Frost Farm Gallery featuring "Swift River Treasures: Original Naturalist Works by Betsy Bell," Opening Reception, meet and greet the artist, free, light refreshments, Frost Farm Gallery, 272 Pikes Hill Road, Norway.
FMI: 207.743.8041, www.frostfarmgallery.com.

October 2, 5:30 p.m. doors open, 8th Annual Sebago Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce's Live and Silent Auction, Sebago Lakes Signature Dishes at 6, silent auction bidding until 7:30, live auction at 8, on-site child care available, fun, food, games and cash bar, $20/admission, Camp Sunshine, Acadia Road, South Casco. FMI: 207.892.8265, www.sebagolakeschamber.com.

October 3, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Heald-Bradley Pond Reserve, an active hike that explores most of the trails in the reserve including Whiting Hill and Amos Mountain, pack a lunch and plenty of fluid, meet at Heald-Bradley Pond Reserve Parking Lot, Slab City Road, Lovell. FMI: 207.925.1056, www.gllt.org.

October 3, 10 a.m. Cider Pressing, 2009 Apple Cider Saturday, the pressing is free, bring your own apples or buy Shaker Orchard apples at the Shaker Store, Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, 707 Shaker Road, New Gloucester. FMI: 207.926.4597, www.shaker.lib.me.us.

October 3, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Art at Marrett, presented by Historic New England, The Saco River Art League and other Maine artists will display their work in the Colonial Revival Garden at the 1789 Marrett House, $5/adults, $4/seniors, $2.50/children, rain date: October 4, Marrett House, 40 Ossipee Trail East (Route 25), Standish.
FMI: 207.882.7169, www.historicnewengland.org.

October 4, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. The Dempsey Challenge: A Journey for Hope, bicycle tour and run/walk event designed to both raise awareness and funds for the Patrick Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope and Healing, registration is closed, but come cheer on the participants and attend the Festival in the Park including a Health and Wellness Exhibit, Vendor Expo, KidZone, food court, live entertainment, lobster bake, health screenings, survivor walk and art workshop, Simard-Payne Police Memorial Park, Lincoln Street, Lewiston. FMI: 866.990.1499, www.dempseychallenge.org.

October 5, 9 a.m.-closing, 159th Fryeburg Fair featuring the 42nd Saco Valley Woodsmen's Field Day, a variety of competitions using the buck saw, chain saw, log roll, axe, skidder, loader and more, $8/admission, free/under age 12, Fryeburg Fair Grounds, Route 5, Fryeburg. FMI: 207.935.3268, www.fryeburgfair.com.

You can check out the current lakefront property listings in the Sebago Lake Region by clicking below:

Search for lakefront properties in the Sebago Lakes Region $150k to $300k

Search for lakefront properties in the Sebago Lakes Region $300k to $450k

Search for lakefront properties in the Sebago Lakes Region $450k to $700k

Search for lakefront properties in the Sebago Lakes Region over $700k

Kezar Lake in Lovell is a gem hidden in the foothills of the White Mountains. Superb swimming, boating, fishing, dining - and even golfing! - are prime summer activities in the Kezar Lake area. It's touted as "one of the five most beautiful lakes in North America."

The Lake Kezar Golf Course, originally designed by Donald Ross, opened in 1923 and is just up the road from the 9-mile long Kezar Lake. Located on Route 5, this picturesque course offers several views of the White Mountains and is home to a quintessential New England clubhouse emitting old time charm with its 1930s era rocking chairs on the veranda.

Ubiquitous stonewalls and beautiful white pines are key features of the course.

Bill Bisset, General Manager, says, "The back nine [designed by Brian Merrill, Club Superintendent] is only ten years old. The course offers two totally different playing experiences."

It's listed as one of 100 top quality courses in the U.S. and one of 100 Must Play Courses in New England.

The fairways are narrow and undulating, with ponds and brooks providing additional challenges. The dale on the second hole has gobbled many of my golf balls, but I've learned to move on from there.

Of course, Ebenezer's Pub is right beside 3rd green. They have over 35 beers on tap, mostly Belgian, and over 1,000 bottles of beer in their coolers and cellar. So . . . if you need a cool one after surviving the second hole, you've arrived at the right place.

Bill explained that a unique feature of the course is that it's owned by shareholders whose mission is to keep the cost affordable to locals.

He adds, "The course is user-friendly and the club has a reputation of being a friendly, affable place."

His favorite hole is #17, which is pretty and offers a reasonable challenge. The most challenging holes are #7, which is a 200-foot par 3 with 195 yards of carry and #18, which is a par 5 and the longest at 525 yards. Play on that hole finishes between two white pines and over a buried stone wall, now a berm.

As a people-oriented place, the Club offers a Men's Social League on Tuesday mornings, which is designed to mix people so that they get to know everyone. The men are placed in a different foursome each week. The Mixed Couples Scotch 4-some begins at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesdays and includes 9 holes of golf followed by dinner and cocktails on the porch. There are other weekly group opportunities, as well as tournaments, including a popular Battle of the Sexes Tournament held the third week of July each year. Now in its tenth year, Bill tells me, the men have won five times and the women have won five times.

Membership is $600/individual for unlimited golf, $1050 for a husband and wife and $150 for an MSAD 72 student. They also give corporate discounts. And Lake Kezar Country Club has a recipocal agreement with Indian Mound Golf Club in Ossipee, New Hampshire. Members of either club can play at the other course for $25, which includes the greens fee and a cart.

FMI: 207.925.2462 or www.lakekezargolf.com

If you'd like to take a look at Kezar Lake lakefront property for sale just a quick click on the box below will take you to all the current listings:

Search for properties on Kezar Lake

Depending on where you are, you'll enjoy views of Pleasant Mountain and the Shawnee Peak Ski Area, Black Mountian, Mount Washington and the White Mountains from Moose Pond in Bridgton, Sweden and Denmark.

Though it's called a pond, Moose Pond is eleven miles long, one-mile wide at its widest point, covers 1,617 acres and has three basins. Apparently the northern basin area was once timber land, which would explain the stumps. Today, all three basins are favorites for anglers, boaters and swimmers.

There are two boat launches. One is on Denmark Road in Denmark, about 1/2 mile on the right, just after the pavement ends. The other on the Route 302 Causeway in West Bridgton, was renovated this year by the Maine Department of Conservation with help from the Bass Federation of Maine, the Town of Bridgton, Lakes Environmental Association (LEA) and the Oxford County Soil and Water Conservation District.

They replaced the old 10-foot wide concrete plank ramp with a new 20-foot wide ramp. It makes launching much, much easier. And before you launch, you should wash your boat at the boat wash, located just up the street on the far side of the West Bridgton Fire Department.

Warm days and refreshing August nights you'll find me paddling around the northern end of the pond. This section is shallow, with lots of rocks and tree stumps, therefore there are no speed boats.

About a dozen small islands dot the northern basin, making it perfect for picnicking while watching wildlife including heron, red-winged blackbirds, kingfishers, song birds, muskrats, beaver, deer, a variety of fish, and more. In fact, I've seen a red fox hunting along the edge of the pond, moose grazing in the shallow waters dining on water lilies and pickerel weed and a bald eagle flying overhead.

Harold "Hal" Arthur, a volunteer lake monitor, has been helping Colin Holme, LEA Field Services Director, take water samples every two weeks for years. Based on the information they gather, Peter Lowell, Executive Director of LEA describes Moose Pond as one of three "Cream of the Crop" ponds in the Lakes Region. The Moose Pond Association, formed about a year ago, is working diligently to make sure it remains on that list.

Besides being home to perch, pickerel, hornpout, smelt and other fish, Moose Pond produces lots of nice bass. With the three different basins, anglers have options for fishing different types of habitat.

Three Bass Tournaments will be held during September and October. Here's some contact information in case you are interested:
9/6/09, Moose Pond, Denmark, Eagle Bassmasters, Dale Libby, Open/Weigh In, 207.205.0896
9/12/09, Moose Pond, Denmark, Saco Valley Cast Masters, Steve Philbrick, Club/Weigh In
10/18/09, Moose Pond, Denmark, Dirty Dozen, John Hertz, Open/Weigh In, 207.577.1347

FMI: Lakes Environmental Association: http://mainelakes.org
Moose Pond Association: www.moosepondassociation.org

Perhaps you'd like to take a look at lakefront property for sale on Moose Pond. Just click on the box below:

Search for properties on Moose Pond in Bridgton and Denmark

Norway Lake Marina (doing business as Keller's Place) sits on the shores of Lake Penneseewassee, whose common name is Norway Lake.

Norway Lake is about five miles long and a half-mile wide with a maximum depth of 48 feet. The marina is easily accessible at 295 Lake Road, across from the junction of Routes 117 and 118. In its second year of operation, Miles Millett runs Keller's Place for owner Bobby Lehmkuhl.

Miles told me that they offer new and used South Bay pontoon boats, Old Town canoes and kayaks, boat gear such as tubes and other recreational items, boat rentals, slip and mooring rentals, dockside fuel, shrink wrapping, winterization plus indoor and outdoor storage. Currently all 30 boat slips are filled.

Right now the marina is open Monday thru Friday from 9-5:30 and 10-3 on Saturdays during the season. Since the snowmobile trail runs across the property, Miles says they are considering taking advantage of the winter snowmobiling and ice fishing crowd. Stay tuned.

For more information: 207.744.0200 or www.norwaylakemarina.com

If you're in the mood to look at Lake Penneseewassee lakefront property just click below:

Search for lakefront properties in Norway, Maine