WATERFORD — The Waterford World’s Fair can trace its roots back to 1852.

“It used to be called Tom Greene’s Fair” after the man who founded it and held the first few fairs in a field near his house, fair Secretary Darcy Winslow said. It was mostly an event for neighbors to gather around and race horses.

The fair has grown a lot since Tom Greene’s horse racing days. And, its mission has also changed.

While the fair still promises its good old-fashioneded fun, it also has the added mission of educating others about agriculture – whether its teaching folks the latest farming trends or highlighting the area’s rich agricultural heritage.

One of these events is Meet Your Farmer in which farmers will be on site throughout the duration of the fair Friday, Saturday and Sunday to answer the public’s questions.

Another event, Little Hands, makes learning fun.

“It teaches little kids how to grow vegetables from start to finish,” fair director John McGrath said.

Using plastic vegetables, children get to emulate farmers.

“They plant the vegetables, pick them and then sell them at market, where they get a little fair dollar,” Winslow said.

The fair’s goal to promote agricultural education isn’t just limited to children. Throughout the weekend, fair organizers have invited experts to host talks on a range of topics. In one demonstration, Central Maine Power will teach onlookers about electricity. In another, a forager will give expert advice on how to safely forage for mushrooms in Maine’s forests.

That doesn’t mean, however, that all of the events are about learning. Some are just downright fun. As in previous years, the fair will host its widely popular fundraiser: cow bingo. A classic event featured at many of the agricultural fairs across the state, cow bingo involves transforming a plot of fair ground into a checkered grid. Participants buy up squares, with some even competing to buy the most, in hopes of winning cow bingo. After all the squares are bought, a cow is brought out to graze in the grid – until it relieves itself. The lucky owner of the square in which the cow’s excrement lands gets half of the total revenue of the event.

“You can’t really explain cow bingo,” McGrath said. “You just got to be there.”

Another lively event that draws a large crowd, according to McGrath, is the pig scramble. With their hands covered in lard, kids attempt to catch and hold a group of running pigs. If they catch one, the child and their family have the option of “taking the pig home and raising it,” McGrath said. Those who opt out can sell their pig to other eventgoers.

And, of course, the festival has a wide variety of cooking contests ranging from apple pies and whoopie pies to molasses cookies.

The fair also includes events dedicated to showing off participants’ agricultural chops such as the steer/ox pull, the farmers draft horse pull and even the kiddie tractor pull. The annual sheep dog demonstration, for example, showcases how a farmer uses his four-legged companion to herd his flock.

“It’s quite the thing,” McGrath said enthusiastically.

The fair’s organizers also hope to hold a farmers’ market for the first time on Sunday. Although they had one planned for last year, it was canceled due to torrential downpours on the fair’s last day. Featuring fresh produce, homemade soaps, goat cheese and even handmade wooden tableware, the market truly has something for everyone.

Daily admission for the fair costs $6. Attendees can also purchase a three-day pass for $15 or a three-day pass for four people for $60. Children 5 years old and younger get in for free all three days. On Friday, veterans and seniors can purchase tickets for $3, with the latter receiving a free lunch at noon.

“It’s affordable for the average family that wants to take their kids somewhere where they can have fun yet still learn,” McGrath said.

In the end, the fair’s organizers stress, that’s what the Waterford World’s Fair is about: bringing farmers, families and the community together since 1852.