Upwards of 2,000 people are expected to attend the South River-Machar Fall Fair held Sept. 6 to 8.
Dale D’Allaire, president of the South River-Machar Agricultural Society, said this is the 143rd edition of the free fair. Instead of charging admission, the society relies on donations from the public when entering the fairgrounds at 1A Lincoln Ave., South River, plus sponsors and businesses help pay for the various fair attractions.
Additionally, the society holds a monthly fundraiser and the proceeds of the event are applied to each future fair. Both the Village of South River and the Township of Machar make annual contributions to offset the fair costs, which are easily more than $20,000.
Township of Machar Mayor Lynda Carleton said it’s important for municipalities to contribute to their fall fairs. She said one reason is those contributions help ensure there are future fairs. The second reason is they help bring visitors to the area and generate economic activity.
Carleton said an example of this is when local children’s sports groups like figure skating clubs set up booths during the fairs and then sell things like pies. The money that’s raised helps to pay for their activities.
The local fairs also allow the public to buy locally-made products like honey and maple syrup, Carleton said.
This year Machar donated $3,500 as its share to the fair and Carleton said the town council makes a point each year of budgeting a dollar amount for that year’s fair.
Carleton said Machar’s contribution was applied to the bouncy castle attraction. “It gives the kids an outlet and something to look forward to,” Carleton said.
South River Mayor Jim Coleman echoed Carleton on the need and importance for municipalities to support their respective fall fairs. “They are great events, especially for the kids,” he said. “They bring families together and people get to see all the things that are going on in their community.”
The event is family-oriented and after last year’s success of having a mechanical bull ride for kids, the organizers added two more mechanical rides — the teacup and windjammer rides, both of which are free for the children. But the mechanical rides and bouncey castle were cancelled on Sept. 5 due to the forecast, according to the society's social media page.
Environment Canada is calling for rain all three days of the fair.
Although the fair spans three days, D’Allaire said most of the events take place on Saturday. That includes the light horse show where horses and the riders are judged for their performance and abilities.
Included in this portion are the western games where horses navigate various patterns for red ribbons and cash prizes. D’Allaire said competitors come from Huntsville, North Bay, the Highlands, Powassan, and naturally the South River area.
The annual fair also has a horse pull competition and this year six teams from several Ontario communities and one from Quebec are taking part.
The teams compete in two classes: The horses having a combined weight of under 3,500 pounds compete in the light horse pull, while the teams with a combined weight of more than 3,500 pounds participate in the heavy horse pull category.
Back this year is the lumberjack competition, which is locally organized. This event includes nail driving and a crosscut sawing competition.
Saturday also includes the fall fair parade. “We’re trying to get it back to its former glory,” D’Allaire said. She said COVID knocked back participation in the fair and “we’re trying to get it back up.”
D’Allaire said each parade has a theme and this year was set to be Call of the Wild to recognize the area’s wilderness. Again the parade, as of Sept. 5, was cancelled due to the weekend's forecast, according to the society's social media page.
On Sunday the fair features a return to a very popular pre-COVID event — the Mutt Show. This event has it all, D’Allaire said.
Children can dress up their dogs or get them to do tricks. Plus the dog with the waggiest tail and dogs that have the shortest and longest tails will be recognized. There is also a look-a-like category where the children are judged on how closely they resemble their pet dog.
Other features of the fair include a poultry and small animal exhibit, bingo, a penny sale, and a historical display that includes images of past fall fairs.
About 40 vendors will be on-site and the fair organizers will host a barbecue fundraiser to help offset the cost of the fair.
For parking, the public has the option of walking to the fairgrounds at 1A Lincoln Ave. or taking a ride on a trackless train. “Our train makes stops at different points along the fairgrounds,” D’Allaire said.
“Plus, one of the cars is wheelchair accessible. Then when they are done, people can ride the train back to their vehicles.”
According to D’Allaire, the local agricultural society is fortunate to have a large base of about 20 volunteers and more than 10 board members with some of them working year-round to make sure there is a fall fair the following year.
Rocco Frangione is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter with Almaguin News. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
