UNION, Maine — Crowds slowly grew at the Union fairground on a hot, hazy Wednesday in July.
The quiet cluck of show chickens and moo of cattle gave way to sporadic thundering hoofs in a nearby open-air pavilion, as teams of towering horses all at once flexed their muscles and snatched the chains connecting their harness to a sled, piled high with stone blocks.
As we watched horse pulling superintendent Matt Gerrish and his volunteers stack more blocks on for the next round, the count was up around 9,000 pounds of weight.
What was once an essential duty on the farms in town, spectators sat in bleachers and clapped at the display of true horsepower.
This day was the midpoint of the 155th Union Fair, a steadfast source of entertainment and money in a town boasting few more than 2,300 residents.
On the other side of the grounds, past the usual steel rides and game booths, a couple dozen girls gathered, awaiting direction, and wearing sashes that read, "Blueberry contestant."
As the fair wound down, the Maine Blueberry Festival was about to commence, and a blueberry queen needed to be crowned.
Here, Select Board Member Martha Johnston-Nash and I stopped to observe.
"Are there any perks to being superfood royalty?" I asked.
"Oh yeah," she replied. "The queen represents the blueberry industry in Maine for the next year. So, they go to various events around the state."
That's far from an empty sash.
Of course, there were blueberry baked goods galore to be had, as well - the best of each category earning ribbons.
These annual traditions were all leading into an exceedingly special milestone for Union: its 250th anniversary since being settled in 1774. (Wabanaki descendants might want a word.)
The celebration schedule featured three days filled with parades, concerts, games, and even a 50-year-old time capsule unearthing.
Martha and sestercentennial committee co-chair Argy Nestor showed me around the fair, including a display created by the historical society showing original family land plots and houses in town.
The theme for the spectacle was, "Looking back to look ahead."
"The history is very much a part of us and part of what we’re doing now, and we hope it will continue," Martha explained. "And we’re bringing on the youth of this whole process."
"We know that, to sustain a community, we need to embrace people that come in," Argy added a few minutes later.
According to the 2020 census, Union has the youngest median population in Knox County. The two women believed nearly one-third of the properties in town had recently changed hands, claiming many of those newcomers were younger than the folks who sold to them.
Farming remains viable in Union, while new businesses sprout up downtown. The next generation is crucial to future success, and there’s also tradition to uphold if you ask leaders in town.
Leaders like historical society president Jeffrey Nims. I asked, what will define the next 250 years for the town?
"We have new homes coming in all the time," he said. "We’ve had some new industry, new stores, and so on. But, I think, basically, the sense of community that Union has will remain the same, I hope, over the next 250 years."
Union is a slowly evolving town that celebrates its roots.
"There’ll be, probably, a celebration in another 50. I won't be here," Martha laughed. "But a lot of people will be. We just hope they carry on that tradition."
And celebrate, they will, throughout July and again soon, no doubt.