Williamston Fair
Lights, Camera, Action. This is it, the 209th edition of the Williamstown Fair will take place this Saturday, September 5, 2020 from 4-9PM. The Directors of the Williamstown Fair Board are excited to present their drive thru; as usual, the community has been so supportive.
The board is pleased to welcome their midway provider, World’s Finest Shows, who have graciously offered to sell cotton candy, candy apples for $5 and popcorn sleeves for $10. These treats will be available upon arrival into the fairgrounds, exact change would be appreciated, and Fair volunteers are ready to serve you. On your way out, the Souvenir crew will be in the parking lot at the Fire Hall to take your orders and deliver them right to your vehicle; follow the signs to get your t-shirts and hooded sweatshirts.
The Board of Directors would like to thank the many individuals, organizations, community groups who will be bringing their agricultural equipment, farm animals, and floats to display. They would also like to thank the generous sponsors who have helped make this event happen. Finally, the fair cannot happen without their guests. Thank you in advance for joining them this weekend. Enjoy the lights, the displays and entertainment as you drive through the Williamstown Fairgrounds. Donations are not necessary but will be welcome to help us begin our preparations for next year’s 210th edition of the fair better than ever.
We’re very excited to announce that we’ll be holding the 209th edition of the Williamstown Fair Saturday, September 5th, 2020 and we hope to show that the Fair spirit is alive and well here in Williamstown.
Though a Virtual Home & Garden and a Drive-Thru fair will be a new experience for all, we want to give our community something to look forward to and be excited about participating in because the Fair is the community and the community is the Fair. The Drive-Thru will run from 4–9PM and be made up of agricultural displays, a “reverse parade”, and the grounds will be lit up for the night time hours.
NOTE: More details will be posted on the Drive-Thru closer to the event but most importantly, following the guidelines set out by the Eastern Ontario Health Unit, you must remain in your vehicle for the duration of the drive-thru.
This year’s 209th Williamstown Fair COVID-19 Edition will be a Drive-Thru event Saturday, September 5th, 2020 from 4pm to 9pm. They’ll be highlighting our roots in agriculture and rural life by staging the route through the Williamstown fairgrounds with agricultural equipment, farm animals and a “Reverse Parade”.
What is a Reverse Parade?! Rather than the parade passing by a crowd of onlookers, the floats and displays will be set up on the fairgrounds to be viewed as vehicles pass through the grounds during the Drive-Thru Fair. The community is welcome to participate: families, businesses, and organizations are encouraged to create a float or display. Floats or displays must be registered by Friday, August 21st. Register by contacting reverseparade@williamstownfair.ca to receive the information and guidelines.
The theme is “At the Fair!” Think of a favourite experience everyone looks forward to at the Williamstown Fair every year. The following ideas can be used as inspiration for a display. Some suggestions are: Farmer Olympics, Corn Roast, Sheep Shearing, Farm Animals, Highland Dancing, Horse Pull, K-9 Agility, Family Games, Midway Rides, Tug of War, 4-H Show, Scarecrow Competition, Fair Foods, Highland Events, Farm Life, and Home & Garden.
Displays are to be unmanned and should also be well lit for night time viewing and can be set up on a trailer, side by side, tractor, etc., or a freestanding display can sit on the grass. All displays should be able to withstand varying weather conditions, make it sturdy, as the show will go on rain or shine.
Back in May the St. Lawrence Valley Agricultural Society faced a tough decision – to postpone or to cancel? The latter was chosen and since then, board members have been meeting regularly to explore planning options and ensure that Canada’s Oldest Annual Fair will occur. With the seal of approval from the EOHU, this year’s fair will be a one-day event scheduled to be held on Saturday, September 5th rain or shine. Details will be added to this column over the next few weeks.
Although fairgoers cannot be together the same way at the Exhibit Hall, the community can still have some fun. The Home and Garden Division is pleased to offer some interesting and fun categories as part of the Williamstown Fair Virtual Home & Garden Exhibit so get creative with the 209th Super Home & Garden Division – 2020 edition.
The theme for this year’s Scarecrow Competition is, “Farm Life” and as in the past, displays must include signage that reads “Williamstown Fair” to qualify for the shot at prize money. Have fun, get the whole family involved a full details and deadlines can be found at www.williamstownfair.ca.
Please note, at this time the Fairgrounds remains to be closed to the thru traffic and public gatherings. Friends and neighbours are asked to refrain from visits and picnics on the grounds while plans for reopening are under way and will be announced in the coming weeks.
Check back every week for further information and don’t forget to check the fair’s website for full details and instructions of 2020 Home & Garden classes as well as the details on how and when to submit your entries at www.williamstownfair.ca