Centennial Museum of Sheguiandah Fall Fair seeks to bolster tradition
LITTLE CURRENT—The Sheguiandah Fall Fair committee was concerned about dropping participation from Island youth, so they set about revitalizing the event at the source. Outreach committee member Cindy Tarr conducted a series of presentations with students at Little Current Public School as the school season came to a close.
“The Sheguiandah Fall Fair is one of the many fairs that are hosted here on Manitoulin Island that provides an opportunity to bring the community together to meet and greet each other, have some fun and to sell their creative and innovated goods,” said Ms. Tarr. “Anything from harvested goods, photos, history, culinary goods, knitted goods and/or the arts can be submitted to the judges to be evaluated. These days there are so many talented people on the Manitoulin that have created wonderful items from skincare to toys.”
The fall fair isn’t just about the competitions in each category, notes Ms. Tarr. “There is always something for everyone at the venders’ tables; we have a barbeque, live local entertainment and the Early Years Program provides a fun station for kids to play while the parents shop and connect with neighbours.” But there is that opportunity for “bragging rights” and small cash prizes—and it isn’t just about the youth—adults are encouraged as well.
“Of course, no fair would be complete without a friendly competition and a chance to showcase your talents,” said Ms. Tarr. “We encourage community members across Manitoulin to enter their homemade creations to be displayed and enjoyed in our exhibit hall.”
The pandemic caused a pause in the fall fair and as a result, entries took a big hit even after the dust had settled.
“This is where we noticed a lack of participants in the fair,” said Ms. Tarr, “ever since COVID hit the Island.”
“The fall fair committee decided we need to promote the fair and let everyone know that we are still here and would love to see everyone out on September 13 at the Centennial Museum in Sheguiandah from 10 am to 3 pm.”
But back to the youth outreach effort.
“I was welcomed into Little Current Public School (LCPS) to talk with the children about the fair (a lot the children had never even heard of the fair),” she said. “We thought if we start at a young age we might instill a love of creating and sharing their talents for a life time.”
The first up was Ms. Volpini’s Grade 1 class. “They loved colouring and hands on creating.” Then Ms. Corbiere’s Grade 1 and 2 class. “They really enjoyed drawing their own art.” Mr. Walsh’s Grade 4/5 class saw youth creating with various materials and made original creations, while Ms. Linklater’s Grade 2/3 class gravitated mostly to bead work.
Ms. Tarr provided materials and supplied hands-on creative time with the children. “It was a blast for both the children and me,” she said. “They really got into their work and created some masterpieces. Some children really did not want to part with their creations, so I encouraged them to enter their items in the fair this September. It was a fun way to end their school year and to get them crafting for the summer.”
The Sheguiandah Fall Fair committee invites all the parents and family members of LCPS to come out in September to view the creative talents of their children, said Ms. Tarr. “I became a member of the Sheguiandah Fall Fair two years ago because I wanted to give back to the event that my children and I have enjoyed for many years.”
“As I grew up in Southern Ontario in a larger community I cannot remember any community events besides school events,” said Ms. Tarr. “I do remember coming to the Island often to visit family and always having some places to go such as a luncheon, a fiddle contest or a bazaar. Not to mention the Providence Bay Fair. I can remember always visiting the exhibit hall at the fair, where all my cousins had entered their artwork (crafts) and won prizes and I felt they were so lucky.”
“Once I had my own children, I decided they would benefit from these community events,” she said. “A community fall fair offers children a chance to get a sense of pride in where they live and the knowledge and history of Manitoulin. Going to different events around the Island they were able to meet and talk to elders and learn about all the different communities.”
“It gave my children such joy to invite their grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins into the exhibit halls to see the works of art that they created or the vegetables that they helped to grow,” shared Ms. Tarr. “The photos that they had taken were always a favorite. Whether it was at Providence Bay Fair, Sheguiandah Fall Fair or the Manitowaning Fall Fair, they had a good time. We even went to visit the Central Manitoulin Public School (CMPS) Community Fair a few times—that fair is hosted by the CMPS school in Mindemoya.”
Ms. Tarr offered suggestions on where youth and their parents could learn more about the Sheguiandah Fall Fair, or how to enter. “You can find a Sheguiandah Fall Fair booklet at the following places: Town of NEMI Library, Town of NEMI municipal office in downtown Little Current, the Town of Assiginack municipal office or the Centennial Museum of Sheguiandah,” she said. “We hope to see you all at the fair on Saturday, September 13.”
By Michael Erskine, The Manitoulin Expositor
