If you're looking for an udder-ly good time, there's only one place to be this weekend.
After a two-year hiatus, the Timmins Fall Fair is back.
The popular family-friendly event is at the Mountjoy Arena on Saturday, Sept. 10 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 11 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $10 per person or $5 for children ages three to 12 years. Kids three years and younger are free.
“This weekend is back to exactly what we left off three years ago,” said Rock Whissell, Porcupine District Agricultural Society president.
There will be live entertainment, kids activities, horse demonstrations, farm animals, agricultural displays and more.
Fusion, who was at the last show in 2019, is providing the entertainment again and bringing new events—including miniature tractor pulls.
“The kids go on a tractor pedal bike and they pull weight behind them. They’ll be competing against each other, so two tractors at a time and the kids will be getting participation ribbons,” explained Whissell.
Local interest in agriculture is growing.
Because of COVID, Whissell said more people are experimenting at home.
"For myself, instead of going on a trip, we put a $10,000 greenhouse at the house. People are putting gardens where they never had gardens in their backyard, planting carrots, they’re there to water them, they’re more at home. And they’re starting to realize how important growing your own food and knowing where your food is from," he said.
“It was a negative that we haven’t had the fair in two years, but it’s been really positive for the community to learn how to grow and to go back to what they used to be being at home and taking care of your own produce and your own gardens at home."
During the hiatus, Whissell said the fair committee has been actively meeting and currently has 14 members.
“It’s a very positive committee, we’re always looking for something to improve our fair and it’s going to show on the weekend that we’ve been improving and trying to make the fair even bigger and better for the community,” he said.
The last event in 2019 saw 5,000 paid customers go through the doors.
Whissell is expecting the same attendance, if not more, this year.
“What we’re trying to promote is ... the family community. To know your neighbour, to talk to your neighbours. To be able to communicate with the person that you say hi to every week across the street, you get to see them at the fair, get to talk to them, have time to communicate more,” he said.
The non-profit group is trying to educate and help the community as much as possible.
While there is an admission fee, Whissell noted that the activities are free after that.
“About six years ago I took away all the money that kids have to do for games for all the events. Everything is free. After you walk in, you pay your $5 for the kids, your pony ride is free, the bouncers are free. I used to come here, it used to cost me $100 and I couldn’t wait to get my kids off the property because it was costing me money,” he said.
The full schedule and more details on the fair are available here.
