More than a midway: why your local fair needs you

Doug van Wolde for the Uxbridge-Scott Agricultural Society

The Horse Pull at the Uxbridge Fall Fair. Photo submitted by Doug van Wolde

Every September, the weekend after Labour Day, Elgin Park fills with the sounds and smells of the Uxbridge Fair: livestock out on the grounds, prize ribbons on quilts and preserves, rows of flowers and vegetables in the Horticultural Building, and no shortage of good-natured bragging rights for whoever's cake, potato, or livestock takes home the win. It's one of the most picturesque weekends Uxbridge has to offer, and this year the Fair returns September 11 through 13.

But behind the gates, the fair is something else entirely: a volunteer-run operation, and one small part of a story older than Canada itself.

A tradition older than Confederation

Agricultural societies have been part of life in Ontario for a long time. The first in Canada formed in Nova Scotia in 1765, and Ontario followed in 1792, 75 years before Confederation. Today, the Ontario Association of Agricultural Societies represents over 210 member societies across the province, each one putting on a fair like ours.

Uxbridge Fair’s roots go back to 1862, when the Uxbridge and Scott Agricultural Society formed. The two split in 1864, and the Scott Fair eventually moved to Uxbridge, becoming the fair we know today, still held right where it started, at Elgin Park.

Everyone’s favourite event, the Demolition Derby at the Uxbridge Fall Fair. Photo submitted by Doug van Wolde

There is one important thing that people don't always realize about the Uxbridge Fall Fair: it isn't a business, and it isn't run by the town. It's a not-for-profit built entirely on the time of its volunteers. Eighteen board directors and more than 250 people spread across 35 committees, working alongside a small paid staff, all focused at the same goal: three days in September the whole community can be proud of.

Why people volunteer, and what they actually get out of it

I won't pretend the reason people volunteer is purely selfless. It's easy to say "give back to your community," and that's true, but there are real, tangible rewards too: new friendships (most of us call it the "fair family"), unexpected networking, and a membership that gets you onto the fairgrounds all weekend. Still, if you ask me honestly, most people who stick with it are here for something else.

What I learned by accident

I didn't set out to spend 35 years around Ontario fairs. In high school, a friend mentioned that the Markham Fair needed volunteers, so I went to see what it was about, and ended up on the photography committee in the Homecraft Building. What I didn't know was the rest of the fair. Over the years I learned the other homecraft categories, then agriculture itself: the livestock, the crops, why any of it mattered beyond a fun weekend.

Showing cattle at the Uxbridge Fall Fair. Photo submitted by Doug van Wolde

Fairs entertain, but they carry a mandate that isn't much of a secret: to educate people about agriculture, and remind a public increasingly disconnected from farming where its food comes from. That's what hooked me. A little over 10 years ago I moved to Goodwood, just down the road, after attending the Uxbridge Fair for about 20 years, and that's when I decided to actually volunteer here. I now serve as Interim Secretary while we work on a longer-term solution for the administrative side of the fair.

Getting involved

Every fair shares the same needs: a place for the community to gather, a mission to educate, and always more volunteers. If you're 14 or older, you can join as a member of the Uxbridge-Scott Agricultural Society and sit on a committee or two, helping out during fair weekend and at planning meetings through the year.

High school students looking for volunteer hours are welcome too. Reach out to the section or committee you're interested in directly, and its convener can make arrangements with you.

Either way, the fair only happens because people show up and help, and we're not the only local organization that could say that. If you'd like to be part of it, visit our website, at uxbridgefair.ca, find the volunteer page, and fill out the form. Someone from the fair will be in touch.

We'll see you at Elgin Park next weekend.