September Nor’easter threatens to foil fall fairs and events

The Maine tradition of fall fairs could be under the weather this weekend, as a major nor'easter moves up the East Coast, threatening heavy rain and gale-force winds. A number of events have been cancelled, while others vow to go on rain or shine. Maine is expected to be affected Saturday night through Monday. The National Weather Service has already posted small-craft advisories and a high-surf advisory. Winds up to 35 knots are expected, with surf in the range of seven to 12 feet. Parts of Maine could receive up to half an inch of rain on Sunday. “The nor’easter has strengthened over the Atlantic and is expected to stay closer to the shoreline. This will bring more rain inland, but more importantly stronger winds closer to shore,” said AccuWeather meteorologist Elizabeth Danco. “This region has experienced soaking rains in recent weeks, making it particularly susceptible to falling trees and flooding.” Power lines Experts are warning that the impact of high winds could be worse with leaves still on the trees. Central Maine Power Co. said it will have extra crew members at its service centers. With the duration of the storm and gusts of at least 40 miles per hour, the utility urged customers on Thursday night to be patient regarding any outages. "With leaves still on trees, the risk of tree damage can increase. Tree strength can also be compromised by drought conditions, which many of our communities are experiencing," CMP said in a message to customers. "For safety, CMP crews cannot raise bucket truck arms when winds exceed 30 mph." Cruise ship status Thursday heralded the arrival of the Sapphire Princess, with 3,214 passengers, and the Silver Shadow, with 466 people on board, according to PortlandOldPort.com. The Cruise Maine website shows that the Viking Mars, with 944 passengers, is scheduled to dock in Portland on Saturday; and the Celebrity Silhouette, with 2,886 passengers, is scheduled to dock on Sunday. In the past, major storms have often prompted unplanned visits to Portland's relatively sheltered harbor. Air travel Aimee Thibodeau of Bangor International Airport said that airlines are the ones that make schedule changes, not the airport. She also said that any delays or cancellations would likely be due to airports in areas hit harder by the storm. "In this case, as always, we encourage passengers to download their airline's app to get the most current information,' she said. Festivals and events There have already been a number of cancellations. The Old Orchard Beach Chamber of Commerce cancelled its FallFest. Heart of Biddeford postponed its Oktoberfest by a week,  to Saturday, Oct. 3. Freedom Boat Club, with locations in Yarmouth and Sebago Lake, postponed planned open houses. And at marinas and town landings along the coast, workers and boat owners were busy late this week pulling boats out of the water. Poland Media Group announced that the 17th annual Poland Heritage Day, which was scheduled for Saturday, has been canceled. “We are disappointed to cancel this event, but the safety and well-being of our attendees, volunteers, vendors and community remain our highest priority,” said Cyndi Robbins, innkeeper of Poland Spring Resort and vice president of the Poland Spring Preservation Society. “We hope to see everyone in 2027 when Poland Heritage Day returns.” What's still on Common Ground Fair in Unity says it still plans its annual agricultural fair, rain or shine. The Maine Needham Festival is on for this Saturday in Wiscasset. "In light of the gloomy forecast, we've decided to move most of the event indoors so you can visit our vendors and activities while staying nice and dry," event planners posted on social media. Editor's note: Renee Cordes and Alexis Wells contributed to this report.