Agricultural community brings competitive spirit to fair
The Collingwood Agricultural Society is building on tradition with its 167th fall fair at the Great Northern Exhibition this month.
This year’s fair promises more of what the community has come to expect from the event with music, dance, tractor and truck pulls, antique machinery show, demolition derby, livestock shows, demonstrations and midway.
Fall fairs have a long and significant history in rural communities.
“These fall fairs were places where local farmers could get together at harvest time after they’d finished their work in the fields, and celebrate their harvest and the end of the season before hunkering down over the winter,” said Administrator Deborah Mobbs. “It was a very social thing and a chance for farmers to show off their produce and the animals they’d taken care of and nurtured all year round.”
At the heart of the fair is the competition. Community members enter in numerous categories to show off their skills in homecraft and animal husbandry. Even the tractor pulls and demolition derbies are competitions.
“Everything that you see at the fair when you are going around is a competition,” said Mobbs. “And all of the judging is done by professional judges that come from outside the area.”
Mobbs said the event has morphed into a more modern fair but those elements of celebration and competition remain.
“It’s pride of profession and an opportunity for the community to appreciate the farmers and all the work they do for the community,” said Mobbs. “It’s such a good fair and it’s really quite large in comparison to some others. How lucky we are.”
She said it’s an important experience for young farmers who are learning skills for their future in agriculture.
The fair also offers a window into the world of agriculture for the wider community. This year’s event will have expanded entertainment for young children, with magicians, jugglers, musicians, and a new straw bale playground.
School children will be on the fairgrounds on opening day for the return of Education Day, the first one since the pandemic. The day is geared to students in Grades 3 and 7 who are offered special access and programming. Mobbs said a lot of work has gone into gearing the day’s activities to the curriculum in order to make it a valuable experience for teachers and students. The programming will challenge the way youth see food, for example, hopefully coming away from the fair with a better of understanding of how products get to the grocery store shelf.
“We’re all excited and we hope that the students are all excited too because it’s a wonderful experience,” said Mobbs.
The fair takes place on Sept. 20-22. A full schedule is posted at www.greatnorthernex.com. The ambassador program and opening ceremonies will be held in Agri-Cultural Building on the Friday evening beginning at 6 p.m.
It takes approximately 200 volunteers to stage the fall fair and organizers are looking for people to help with clean-up and at admissions. Links to volunteers application forms for students and adults are located on the homepage.
Correction:
2024 DAILY TICKETS
Adults: (13 years & up) $12; Youth: (6 – 12 years) $4; Children (5 years & under): Free.
4-H Members: Free admission when 2024 membership card is presented.
Free Parking on the G.N.E. Grounds
ADULT WEEKEND PASSES
3-Day Pass: $28.00 (includes Friday, Saturday and Sunday)
2-Day Pass: $20.00 (includes Saturday & Sunday) avail. Sat. only
SKIP THE LINE – ADVANCE SALES – available after September 1, 2024
Available ONLINE ONLY – Advance Tickets MUST be purchased by Thursday, September 19, 2024 to be eligible for discounted rate.
Adult: $10.00 (for single day pass).
