This year we are having new activities for the young and young at heart at the fair. Look for 
these four activities on Friday between 5-9pm, and Saturday 12-4pm.
We hope to hear your feedback after the fair on which you enjoyed most!
With the heat this summer and little rain some of the competitors at the Bayfield Fair are worried their big vegetables are not going to be very outstanding this year. For those who have a garden, do consider exhibiting your garden crops this year. The key is to have each entry the same size as the others even though they may not be their normal size. One young lad didn’t have access to his grandparent’s garden this year so he decided to put pots out to grow his vegetables. With a lot of watering he is doing not too badly. He even created a herb garden in a baby buggy so he could keep moving it. This is a summer to think of entering the fair’s vegetables competition and join the group of several people who love to see who has the best this season.
If you have a flower garden, now is the time to check to see what will be blooming in the middle of August just ready for the fair. It’s a time to trim off spent blooms and encourage the new growth to be ready for first place exhibits. Bayfield is known for its huge flower show and always welcomes new exhibitors into the cut flowers, plants, and/or flower arrangement sections.
Check over your picture collection this past year to see if any fit the various classes in photography. With the heat maybe it’s the perfect excuse to go for a drive and take pictures that could be entered.
As the warm season continues, save a jar of your jams or jellies or preserves. It’s a great feeling to find you had the best jam of all those competing and it sure is better than the mass produced jams. There are several recipes in the prize book to try and bring to the fair as well.
There are also handcrafts, woodworking, field crops, fruit, art, and children’s work that can be entered. It is a great pastime to have the children spend some of their creative time crafting exhibits for the fair. The young people also have the possibility of competing at the District and provincial level if they win the chocolate cookie and poster competitions. Posters should always include the name of the fair, its date, and its theme. The rest is creativity.
Make a goal this year of entering something at the fair. Ensure the Bayfield Fair continues to have one of the largest displays of exhibits in the area. If there are any questions, send them to info@bayfieldfair.ca or call Susan at 519-482-5490.
All across Ontario communities celebrate rural life at their local fairs. Approximately one month from now the smells of ribs, the sounds and sights of a parade, the splashes at the dunk tank, the sounds of music, the noises from many animals, children playing, and the fair competitions mesh together during the annual community fair at Bayfield from August 19-21.
The Rib Fest will again be Friday night with four people preparing ribs with different flavours to suit a variety of tastes. Cait Vail from Cait’s Kitchen and Pat and Kevin’s on the Square are new folks to the Rib Fest with some distinctive sauce flavours that will appeal to many of the ribs crowd. Devin Tabor, for Bon Vivant, and Brian Garnet, of Let the Flames Begin, will also be returning to provide their usual version of tasty ribs. The price for a half rack has been reduced this year to $18 and this year full racks will be sold for $26. The meal will consist of the ribs, a cob of locally sourced corn, coleslaw, and a drink. Samples of the ribs will sell for $2. The changes this year reflect the suggestions that were provided after last year’s fest. Advanced sale of tickets has not been finalized but would be on the Ag Society’s website.
This year music will soothe the palate and soul of all those at the Rib Fest. Odd Soul Collective is a group of musicians from the Exeter area and will perform soul music until 9 p.m.
Friday evening this year will be capped with fireworks to celebrate the fair’s 160th anniversary. The Society, the fire department, and the company setting off the fireworks have met to ensure that safety is well attended to. Anyone seated or standing near the tent or stage area will have excellent viewing points for the show which will start at 9 p.m. This non-stop show will take up to ten minutes in length. Fireworks have not been held in Bayfield for many years and if any businesses wished to help sponsor the show, contact the Society at info@bayfieldfair.ca.
Marching bands, floats, and all the other attractions for the annual fair parade are being booked now. Everyone looks forward to the floats that organizations, parks, and neighbourhoods put together. The floats speak to the feeling of being involved in this heritage community. Those wishing to be part of the parade should contact Bill or Ron at info@bayfieldfair.ca.
Volunteers for setting up and taking things down after the fair are being organized already. There is a special need for people who would like to look after inflatable activities on Saturday August 20 from noon to 4 p.m. and games that are being set up for the children to play on Saturday and Sunday for a couple of hours. Interested volunteers should leave their names, phone number, and area of interest at info@bayfieldfair.ca.
Here is an easy to complete form for you to send our Parade organizers to ensure they are aware of your participation!
Click HERE for a PDF download.
Thanks to those that attended the Breakfast on the Farm.
Please fill in our survey for feedback:
