The coffee sack race, sponsored by ShopBike Coffee, proved to be a big hit. The organizers ran many heats and the kids just kept coming back for more! Thank you ShopBike!
The animals have gone home, the displays have been dismantled and stored away for another year, prizes have been distributed, the tent has been taken down, and the fairgrounds have been cleaned up. It’s almost as though nothing happened in the Bayfield Agricultural Park on the weekend of August 16 to 18. And yet the echoes of children’s laughter as they participated in games or rode in the train, people clapping and cheering for the horse shows, as well as the great sounds of the music entertainment over the weekend still linger on the fairgrounds. The small child whose artwork ended up on the “Best in Show” table will not soon forget her first winning experience.
The theme of this year’s Fair was “Farms, Food & Family”, a fitting theme for the Bayfield Agricultural Society (BAS) to really focus on this community’s agricultural roots and heritage while recognizing the need to stay current with the times. The Fair was a blend of the old with the new. The Fair offered the traditional agricultural fair components that people look forward each year – the 4-H competitions, horse shows, homecraft exhibits, vendors, food, plenty of activities for children, a parade, and the annual fireworks show. There were also new and improved ideas incorporated into the Fair.
The Agricultural Awareness Centre made its debut this year in the animal display building. Featuring animals as it has in the past, the building also housed an agricultural display unit from the “Good in Every Grain” program, which focuses on providing educational materials on grain farming in Ontario. The Centre was attended by a University of Guelph student who is also a Director of the BAS. Plans are already underway to secure more educational materials and displays for next year’s Fair.
Selfie stations were introduced this year. The most popular one was the “Cowch”, which found a comfy home in the arena beside the flower exhibits. Many visitors delighted in taking photos or simply stopped for a rest. The Cowch was generously loaned to the Fair by the Goderich Canadian Tire store. Other selfie stations were located next to the Ag Society office and on the fairgrounds in the Kids Zone area.
Straw bales were arranged in a large circle to give the children’s bouncy critters a designated area. This proved to be popular as the straw bales also provided seating for the parents. Special thanks to Doug Wallis for donating and delivering the straw bales.
An old-fashioned sack race was added to the Saturday afternoon children’s activities. ShopBike Coffee in Bayfield participated in this event and provided the coffee sacks, small prizes, and stickers for the kids. Some of the parents joined in on the races to encourage the children. Due to the overwhelming interest in this race, the organizers ran many heats and the children just kept coming back for more! ShopBike has already indicated they’ll be back with the sack race again next year.
Music at the Fair isn’t a new concept, but the entertainment committee definitely focused on more quality music this year. Darren Steckle and his backup band played to an appreciative audience at the Friday night opening right up until the start of the fireworks show. The Saturday night tribute band concert, featuring Simply Queen Live and Sir Elton’s Greatest, drew a large crowd that grew to standing room only for much of the evening. New this year was a great Sunday afternoon concert under the tent with Lance Bedard, lead singer and guitarist with Highway 21, to help wind down the Fair. The feedback received on all of the music was very positive.
While food has always been part of the Fair, the feedback from last year indicated that more food trucks would be an improvement. The BAS listened. Local Rolla, Mr. Cool Ice Cream, Coastal Coffee, and Pitstop Grill were at the Fair on both Saturday and Sunday serving up delicious food and beverages. Judging from the lineups, no one went hungry, and the feedback was excellent. Returning after a short hiatus was the Pie Booth in the arena. This was a very busy stop – so much so that there was an emergency run to pick up more pies. It seems clear that there will be no more hiatuses for the Pie Booth!
Entertainment provided by The Circus Drummer, Wild Ontario (birds of prey), and the Cutting-Edge Cowgirls rounded out the special events at this year’s Fair. The cheering and clapping were a good indication of how well these performances were received. Also included this year was an expanded Touch the Truck section just inside the front gates, featuring a Bayfield Fire Department truck and the addition of “blue” to the tractor section courtesy of Roberts Farm Equipment – New Holland. Under the tent, Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority presented a display of Species at Risk and Farm Land Management Practices, and Sam Robinson led visitors on a Hands-on Exploration of Microscopes, featuring digital microscopes from the Huron County Library’s “Object Library”.
The Bayfield Agricultural Society sincerely thanks all those who participated in the Fair in some way, whether as an exhibitor, volunteer, entertainer, vendor, part of the parade, or a visitor. Everyone played a role in the success of the Fair. Although the Fair has just ended, planning for the 2025 Bayfield Fair begins almost immediately. Anyone who would like to be a part of the planning or a volunteer to help out with next year’s Fair is asked to contact info@bayfieldfair.ca Visitors to the Fair are also encouraged to complete the Feedback Form to let us know what improvements can be made for the future.