Owen Sound Fall Fair among several cancelled in Grey-Bruce for 2020

The roaring sounds of midway rides, heavy machinery competitions and a demolition derby will not be emanating from Victoria Park as usual in the second week of September after organizers decided to cancel the 2020 Owen Sound Fall Fair due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hiliary Breadner, vice-president of the Owen Sound Agricultural Society, which puts on the annual three-day event, said it was a difficult decision to shelve this year’s fair – something she doesn’t believe has happened before in its 168-year history – but it was made with the health and safety of attendees, community partners and volunteers top-of-mind.

“Originally, we wanted to avoid cancelling it at all costs just because the fall fair is such a long-standing tradition,” she said in an interview.

But as the pandemic continued, it became clear that it would be impossible for the organization to present the fair like people are used to – with grandstand events and a large midway – because some social distancing guidelines will likely still be in place in September, she said.

“And a lot of other local fairs and events, like the Salmon Spectacular and Summerfolk, took the plunge and so we felt it was the right decision at the time,” she said of cancelling the fair.

The announcement comes after the cancellation of several other fall fairs that had been planned for late summer in Grey-Bruce.

The Hanover, Durham, Markdale and Beaver Valley fairs are among those that have already been shelved.

Attending a local fall fair has become a tradition for many in Grey-Bruce, including farmers and 4-H members who compete in livestock and other agricultural events, seniors and students who create homecrafts and people who enjoy watching smash-up derbies, riding midway rides, eating cotton candy and popcorn or meeting up with friends and family just before or after children return to school.

The Owen Sound Fall Fair was first held in 1852 as a place to showcase the Owen Sound and area’s agricultural community.

It was set to run this year from Sept. 10 to 12.

Breadner said the Owen Sound Agricultural Society’s board of directors initially cancelled the fair’s homecrafts division, which takes place indoors and has entries from a lot of seniors.

But, at a board meeting Tuesday night, the decision was made to cancel the entire fair.

The board is now exploring options for holding some aspects of the fair virtually this September, she said.

“We’re in the stages of brainstorming about what that could look like and hoping to do something to keep on the tradition in some way, shape or form,” she said.

If COVID-19-related guidelines in September allow for it, the society would like to have an achievement day for 4-H members, she said.

“We’re just looking to support the 4-H kids and try and let them show their animals that they’re still working so hard on this year,” she said.

Also last week, the Hanover, Bentinck & Brant Agricultural Society announced the cancellation of the 2020 Hanover Fair, which had been set for Aug. 7 to 9, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This was a very difficult choice to make, but at this time of uncertainty, we appreciate your understanding and support. The annual fair is a culmination of countless hours of planning by our team of dedicated volunteers and we have been closely watching the status of the state of emergency in Ontario. At this time, it is in the best interest of our organization to cancel our 2020 fair as you know it,” the organization said in a news release.

The society said it is now planning a “virtual fair,” which will provide family fun and agricultural awareness.

Meanwhile, the Beaver Valley Agricultural Society announced earlier this month that its 150^th annual Beaver Valley Fall Fair has also been cancelled.

“As much as we want to have a great big party on Sept. 11 and 12, as a community-minded organization, we have made the decision to put the celebration on the back burner until COVID-19 has moved away and we can gather as one of the largest community gatherings in Thornbury,” society president Theresa Dawn said in a statement.

The organization said if things improve by the original fair dates, they hope to be able to have a “smaller gathering” with music, food and friends.

The Durham Agricultural Society posted on its Facebook page April 14 that the Durham Agricultural Fall Fair, set for the Labour Day long weekend, has been cancelled due to COVID-19, while the Markdale Agricultural Society announced May 1 the cancellation of the Markdale Fall Fair, which had been set for Aug. 28 to 30.