The Rural Voice, 1991-09, Page 32IT'S TIME FOR FAIRS, PLOWING
MATCHES, AND MACHINERY SHOWS
TO CELEBRATE RURAL HERITAGE
by Carl L.Bedal
A rusting seed drill, spruced up
with flowers in its seed box, welcomes
fair -goers to the Dunchurch Fall Fair.
At the Magnetawan Fair, an elderly
couple sit in a car facing the ring
while their grandson walks a pony for
the judges.
While admiring parents cheer from
the sidelines, children race down a
dusty track at the Burks Falls Fair.
These and similar vignettes typify
the 180 fall fairs held annually in On-
tario between mid-August and mid -
HI! HO!
COME
TO THE
FAIR!
October. Although they attract
crowds, small country fairs are not
sophisticated events. Rather, they
Fresh, boiled corn on the cob is favourite attraction at many fall fairs, such as
Dunchurch Fall Fair, which is held every year .
represent the considerable efforts of
small towns, villages, or townships.
The Bayfield fair advertises its
parade and midway; the Elmira one
features antique exhibits and enter-
tainment; Roseau promotes its horse
show and livestock exhibits; and
Blackstock publicizes a tractor -truck
pull.
All these agricultural fairs draw in
local as well as city folks, young as
well as old.
Why is there this enthusiasm for
fall fairs?
Is it because of the nostalgia
associated with the farm? Or is it
something specific like the fresh
home-made pie? Inquisitive goats
peeking over the pens? The lure of
the crown and anchor game? The
crosscut saw competition? The exhi-
bition hall crammed with vegetables,
crafts, and baking?
The popularity cannot be attributed
to the comforts afforded at these small
fairs. There is heat (if the hoped-for
weather arrives), dust (if the fair-
ground is typical), and the smell of
farm animals (if they've been on the
grounds long).
A day at the fair becomes a tiring
one at best unless a convenient bale of
hay can be used as a park bench.
Adding to the discomfort, they locate
the portable outhouses at the further-
most corner of the fairgrounds.
Yet, as Alanna Stewart, farmer and
former president of the Magnetawan
Agricultural Society says, "Every year
there's more and more interest in our
fair." She attributes this to the ".. .
trend to get back to teaching people,
including children, about how things
were done years ago."
Liz Trolove, public relations
convener for the Burks Falls Fair,
explains the popularity this way, "I
think fair -goers want to experience a
28 THE RURAL VOICE