The Rural Voice, 1999-08, Page 25races and it drew a real crowd." Now,
he says, bringing in attractions is
high' cost and risking the future of a
fair if bad weather hits. One good
draw Teeswater has been able to
attract is the RCMP Musical Ride but
that's only available once a decade or
so.
What's needed
combination of
people liked from past
fairs plus new and interesting
things, says Coneybeare. Old
favourites for Listowel audiences
include a demolition derby that
draws as many as 2,000 people
and a tractor pull that attracts 140
competing tractors and audiences
of 1,200 or more people.
The Listowel fair has been
blessed with volunteers who
know how to promote the fair,
says Coneybeare. One of the
successes at Listowel was
is a
the things
designing a theme for each fair
like "Fowl Play" this year. In the
hugely successful parade, many
people picked up the theme in their
costumes and the design of floats, he
says.
Each fair has to design its own
survival strategy. The Seaforth Fair
charges no admission, says Floyd,
and that helps boost attendance.
Strangely, the loss of financial
support from the Ontario Ministry of
Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
wasn't particularly a concern for
most fair representatives, though the
smaller the fair the harder the loss
was to replace. The $1700 lost to the
Brussels fair was a major Toss
because the fair's expenses aren't
that high, says Dorothy Cummings,
president of the Brussels Agricultural
Society.
But Floyd says Seaforth was
prepared because it has always had
an active fundraising program
including the Toy, Craft and Doll
Show that's held every November.
with the government grants.
Still. there's concern whether all
the current fairs will be able to
survive. Coneybeare says that smaller
communities, without so much
corporate support, may not be able to
hang on. Some think the evolution of
fairs may be toward one or two Targe
fairs in each county.
But Cummings says a vote of her
directors showed they weren't
With the switch to summer fairs some livestock
shows have suffered.
Clinton cut its security costs by
trading work with members of the
Bayfield Agricultural Society.
Bayfield volunteers provide security
for Clinton in June while Clinton
helps at the gates for the Bayfield
fair in August. Clinton also has pedal
tractors it rents out for others to hold
similar events and it has a portable
stage it rents.
In Listowel the secret has been
corporate sponsorship, says
Coneybeare who feels more
comfortable with local companies
supporting their own community than
prepared to get involved in the
idea of a county fair yet. The
Brussels fair has stayed
deliberately local as part of its
survival strategy. It's still a
midweek fair because. with less
competition midweek. it can get a
better quality midway. she says.
With a population with a higher
percentage of retired people and
farmers and small businesspeople
who can take off time to go to the
fair. the Brussels fair had a record
attendance last year, she says.
Even those who see the
inevitattility of the emergence of a
couple of Targe fairs in each county
feel it would be a shame for any
community to lose its fair.
"It's the only chance we have to
work as a community," says Ireland.
"Most of the time we're so busy
working by ourselves trying to make
a buck that we don't have a chance to
work with our neighbours for the
common good. That's the value of
he fair to me."
Fair leaders are hoping that a
younger generation of volunteers will
see that value too.0
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