2025 SOCIAL AND POLITICAL ACTION EXHIBITOR APPLICATION

WELCOME TO THE SOCIAL AND POLITICAL ACTION EXHIBITOR APPLICATION

The purposes of the Social and Political Action (SPA) area are: to serve as a common ground for a wide variety of organizations and ethnic groups to explore shared values and possible areas of cooperation; to encourage environmental protection and a respect for all living things; to make it possible for people to earn a living through their work and to develop their potential as human beings; to support public policy that promotes these objectives; to educate the public to injustices; and to provide opportunities to help right these injustices.

Statement of Philosophy: Sustainable agriculture requires sustainable communities. The very basis and justification of organic agriculture is that it should not harm the earth, its plants, animals and its people. As we contemplate and support changes in our food system and our systems of land ownership and use, and as we return to a system that both supports and benefits from organic and locally grown food, we need to be aware of trade, agricultural land use policies, human rights and suffering throughout the world.

Please read and familiarize yourself with the full 2025 Social & Political Action Area guidelines.

If you are a Maine-based organization or organization that has a Maine presence and encourage environmental protection and respect for all living things, please consider applying to the Environmental Concerns Area. The Environmental Concerns Area application closes on March 24th. If you have any questions about which Area your organization fits in best, please reach out to the Fair Office at commonground@mofga.org.

Applications are due by Monday, April 7, 2025 and must be accompanied by a $10.00 processing fee. Please mark this information on your calendars.

Applications may be submitted after April 7, but they will not be considered until all applications received by April 7 have been reviewed. In recent years we have had a number of late applicants, including some from long-time exhibitors, who weren't able to get a booth at the Fair because we had an abundance of applications by the deadline.

MOFGA places a great deal of emphasis on educating fairgoers about sustainable living in Maine. When filling out your application, please be sure to let us know how you plan to inform people about the importance of your social work and political initiatives.

In planning the content and staffing of your booth please remember these very important logistical issues:

Common Ground only provides space for your booth. You are responsible for bringing all tables, chairs, displays, etc., and you must take everything away with you at the end of the Fair.
Each booth is provided up to nine tickets, enough for 3 admissions each day. If you rely on volunteers to staff your booth, please plan accordingly. Additional tickets may be purchased online in advance.
Booths are to be staffed for all three days of the Fair. Groups that do not staff their booths daily, from opening to closing of the Fair, will not be considered for next year's fair.
Media presentations are discouraged and preference is given to face-to-face interaction with the fairgoers.
PETS ARE NOT ALLOWED on the fairgrounds or in the parking lots. Please make sure every member of your staff knows this!
Please be sure to read the guidelines throughly.

This application is not for political parties or candidates for public office. Any political party or candidate campaigning for public office who is interested in participating in the Fair should contact MOFGA's Deputy Director Heather Spalding at heathers@mofga.org or 568-6006.

2024 Booth Fees

Location	Booth Size	Social & Political Action
Tent
	8'x10' educational	$137
	8'x10'x8' educational	$190
	8'x10' educational with sales	$206
	8'x10'x8' educational with sales	$266

Application Process

STEP ONE - Read Guidelines and Application Instructions.

Before completing your application, read and familiarize yourself with the Fair and Social and Political Action Area Guidelines. There are updates to the General Fair Guidelines for 2025, so be sure to read these. Please note: in order to vend at the Fair all vendors must submit a Certificate of Insurance meeting the requirements specified in the 2024 General Fair Guidelines to the Fair office by June 1st.

2025 CGCF and Social and Political Action Area Guidelines are available here.

Certificate of Insurance requirements and sample certificate.

STEP TWO - Complete the Social and Political Action Exhibitor Application below.

STEP THREE - Submit Application with $10.00 Application Fee
You may submit payment online with your application or mail a check. Applications will not be considered until payment is received.

Applications (including application fee) are due on Monday, April 7th.
Completed applications received after the deadline will be reviewed on a rolling basis, space permitting.

1 - BUSINESS AND CONTACT INFORMATION

Returning Exhibitor? *

Organization/Business Name *

Contact First Name *

Contact Last Name *

Contact Mailing Address (Street) *

Contact Mailing Address (City/Town) *

Contact Mailing Address (State) *

Contact Mailing Address (Zip) *

Is this the business address you would like published in the 2025 CGCF Participant List? *

Publishing Address (Address)

Publishing Address (City/Town)

Publishing Address (State)

Publishing Address (Zip)

Email *

Is this the email you would like published in the 2025 CGCF Participant List *

Publishing Email

Cell Phone

Work Phone *

Is this the work phone you would like published in the 2025 CGCF Participant List? *

Publishing Phone Number

Publishing Website Address

2 - PLEASE TELL US ABOUT YOUR WORK.

Please note that the SPA coordinators evaluate applications based on organizations’ alignment with MOFGA’s mission and goals. MOFGA mission statement: Transforming our food system by supporting farmers, empowering people to feed their communities, and advocating for an organic future. Please refer to page 4 of the guideline packet for MOFGA’s full mission and vision statements and page 2 and 3 for the SPA area specific guidelines. MOFGA reserves the right to reject any application and to remove any exhibitor whose presentation is not aligned with MOFGA’s mission and goals.

How would you categorize your business at the Common Ground Country Fair? *

What is your organization’s mission statement? If your organization does not have one, please describe your group’s mission.:

Mission *

How does your organization support MOFGA’s mission and goals? *

The primary purpose of booth displays must be educational, conveying the group’s message to fairgoers in an appropriate manner, and demonstrating how it relates to the CGCF. Please describe the issues or information that you plan to present at your booth, and the educational attributes of your presentation. If you intend to have items for sale, the connection between sales items and how they tie into the group’s mission must be clearly communicated in the educational display.

Educational purpose *

3 - Commercial Activity

Very Important: The Social and Political Action area is primarily an educational area. Exhibitors may sell items (including buttons and bumper stickers) that reflect the clear message of the organization. The CGCF gives preference to organizations that make their own educational merchandise. These items must fit the goals, objectives and guidelines of the area, the CGCF and MOFGA. Only items that fit the area guidelines and are pre-approved by the SPA coordinators may be offered. List the items that you plan to sell or give away at your booth with pricing range. Items not listed in your application and approved by the area coordinators will not be permitted in your booth at the Fair. Please also note food products are not permitted in SPA.

Please note: Items manufactured outside the country must show that they were produced with high ethical standards such as equality, transparency, accountability, a fair price to producers, and creating economic opportunities. Items not manufactured in Maine may be excluded at the discretion of the area coordinators or the Fair Team.

Are you applying to sell any items at your booth?

List and describe the items you wish to sell or give away at your booth. Include pricing.

Items for Sale *

Please describe who produces the items listed, where the items listed are manufactured, the materials used in the products, and the sources for these materials. Items manufactured outside the country must show that they were produced with high ethical standards such as equality, transparency, accountability, a fair price to producers, and creating economic opportunities. Items not manufactured in Maine may be excluded at the discretion of the area coordinators or the Fair Team.

Producers of sales items *

4 - BOOTH INFORMATION

All Social and Political Action exhibitor booths are in a tent. Please indicate your first and second (1st and 2nd) choices for your booth size and type. We do our best to locate returning vendors in their same location as last year, unless requested otherwise.

8x10 Regular *

8x10 Corner *

Optional: Please upload a booth image if you have not been a vendor in the Social and Political Action Area at the Fair before.

Booth image

(MAX SIZE 5MB)

Will you need electricity? *

Special requests:

Almost Done!

Application Checklist:

Application Checklist. *

I have read and understand the 2025 Fair and Social & Political Action Guidelines.

Application Fee

$10.00

SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION BELOW

To complete your Social and Political Actions Area Booth Application, press the SUBMIT button below. You will be directed to a payment page where you can choose to pay via electronic payment now, or you can choose to mail a check by clicking pay by invoice. Do NOT print and mail this application.