Fryeburg Fair Says No to Mud Wrestling

This earth-shaking news was reported in the Resort Report:

In other hot items, the Board of Trustees of the West Oxford Agricultural Society--the group that bring you the Fryeburg Fair each year--by virtue of a 12-9 vote taken on November 3 has decided not to bring back either the Girlie Show or Women's Mud Wrestling for 1985.

As that vote indicates, however, not everyone's in favor of the decision, and more discussion is expected to be heard on the matter when the society's general membership meeting is held Saturday, December 1. "I'm 100 percent against the vote," was the way Midway Superintendent Bub Osgood of Fryeburg responded when asked about the decision to do away with the women's mud wrestling, a popular attraction at the fair for the past two years.

Noting that he feels so strongly about the issue that he just might resign from his superintendent's post in 1985 after serving in that capacity for 31 years, Bub said he thinks it's just not a smart move. "I'll honor the trustees' vote, but I don't agree with it. I was going to do away with the girlie show for 1985, anyway, since attendance was not that strong," said Bub, "but the mud wrestling attracted 8,000 people this year. I'm hoping the trustees will reverse their decision."

For all of Bub's 31-year involvement with the midway, his motto has been, "Something for everyone, young and old, male and female." For the males who attend the annual Woodsmen's Field Day every Monday of fair week, Bub says a grange exhibit just may not cut it for what the lumberjacks had in mind...

Trustee David Hastings II, speaking in favor of the vote not to bring back the shows, said that although the girlie show has been a traditional part of the fair, many feel that it is a "thing of the past," which has no place in an agricultural family fair. "There was no incident which triggered this vote at all. The trustees just felt that while there should be many sides to the fair, this is a side we shouldn't have," explained David. And so the discussion continues.