OAAS News – Wainfleet Fall Fair
~ September 19th to 21st, 2024 ~
The Wainfleet Fall Fair, taking place from September 19th to 21st, 2024, celebrates its theme of “Honey Bees and Maple Trees,” offering a delightful blend of agriculture, entertainment, and family fun. As a community-driven event, the fair showcases Wainfleet’s rich agricultural roots while providing something for every member of the family to enjoy.
The Agricultural Exhibition is a cornerstone of the Wainfleet Fall Fair, highlighting the region’s finest produce and farming achievements. Visitors can also enjoy the 4H Livestock Show, where young farmers proudly present their animals, and watch demonstrations such as sheep shearing. The petting zoo will be a hit with younger attendees, offering an opportunity to interact with friendly farm animals.
For those looking for a dose of excitement, the Wainfleet Fall Fair offers adrenaline-filled events like the Tractor Pulls and the always-popular Demolition Derby, where competitors battle it out in thrilling, high-energy competitions. Music lovers can look forward to the Tribute Band Concert, which will provide lively entertainment and keep the festive atmosphere going all weekend.
The Wainfleet Fall Fair’s contests add a competitive edge, with events like a talent show where local performers can showcase their skills, a corn-eating contest, and a pumpkin carving competition that embraces the fall spirit. These contests are fun for participants and spectators alike.
Children will find plenty to keep them entertained, with bouncing castles, wall climbing, and train rides among the many activities designed for younger fairgoers. Families can also enjoy a wide selection of food from local food trucks and vendors, offering everything from sweet treats to hearty meals.
The Wainfleet Fall Fair promises to be a celebration of agriculture, community, and fun, creating lasting memories for everyone who attends.
History of Agricultural Fairs
Fairs are almost as old as recorded history. There were two types of ancient fairs: trade shows and festivals. From the biblical “Fairs of Tyre” to Sturbridge Fair in medieval England, fairs were used as market places and carnivals. In the 1700’s the British crossed the agricultural improvement society with the traditional trade fair/carnival and agricultural fairs were born.
These agricultural fairs were transplanted to the colonies by the earliest British settlers. The concept of fairs soon flourished in agrarian North America. In Canada, the first agricultural society was formed in 1765 in Nova Scotia. Ontario followed suit in 1792 with the Agricultural Society of Upper Canada based at Niagara on the Lake. From the Ontario strongholds, the concept of agricultural fairs spread west with the first settlers.
After a few false starts, the system of agricultural societies and their fairs spread all over Ontario in the 1800’s. They were organized by county and township and at one time numbered over 500 in Ontario alone. While agricultural societies used many methods (of varying success) to improve agriculture and the rural lifestyle, they’re most enduring and endearing legacy was the agricultural fair. Industrial exhibitions and festivals came and went, but the fairs just carried on. Fairs soon became an ingrained part of Ontario’s (and indeed Canada’s) culture. They still are, in our society.
Ontario Fairs have changed since their inception, but they still carry on their mandate of promoting agriculture and the rural lifestyle.
Want to see modern tradition meet the modern world? Attend a fair!
Click HERE to visit the Wainfleet Fall Fair
