General News

Shelburne & District Fair coming up Sept. 14 to 16

August 30, 2018   ·   0 Comments

Written By MARNI WALSH

If you have never rolled a 700 lb bale of hay, the Shelburne and District Fair , taking place September 14 to 16, is your chance to try.

The round hay-bale race, with family or colleague categories, sees teams of six vying to be the first to push a giant, round bale past the 1000 metre mark. The race is just one example of old fashion fun for all at the annual fall fair.

“We would like to welcome everyone, young and old, tall and short, to come to our 151st fall fair,” says Shelburne District Agricultural Society President Larry Braiden.

“This year our theme is Country Pumpkin, and our focus is on the true meaning of a fall fair, back to its roots of agriculture, home craft, and a play area.”

     This is Mr. Braiden’s second year as President, and he says he has seen many improvements to the fair grounds and buildings. “All of this work that has been done is from all board members, and volunteers – hard work has made all this possible.” This includes the reveal of new mobility mats that will give better access to all residents in Shelburne and area, so that everyone can enjoy the fun with no one left behind.

     With start up money from a Federal grant, the Fair Board purchased 250 feet of mobility mats – portable and durable roll out mats designed to enhance the mobility for pedestrians, disabled persons, wheelchair users and strollers. The mats will be used to connect the two buildings and the washrooms, providing a smooth ride or walkway across uneven and sometimes muddy terrain of the fair grounds.

     The Fair Board has shown great community leadership in investing in this important, but costly infrastructure for the annual event.  Businesses such as Garaventa, Freeman Construction and Aluminium, and Shelburne Family Chiropractic committed to donations, but the Board is still in need of close to $5000 to finish payments for the mats. Perhaps incoming Councillors might re-consider Town support for the mobility mats which provide an important accessibility service to all Shelburne residents.

     Reportedly, neither the Town, nor area developers, nor any new corporations have “stepped up to the mat” with additional support for the mobility purchase, since the long standing pillar of the community organization’s initial requests for assistance this spring.

    The mobility mats are just one expense of many that the Agricultural Society must cover – for example, the cost for bouncy castles, which provide active fun for area kids at the fair, comes to $10,000 each year. “There is a lot of hard work that goes into putting a local fair on for everyone to enjoy,” says Larry Braiden. “I would like to say thank you, to all of our Directors, exhibitors, vendors, all sponsors and volunteers.”

     “We are bringing back some fun activities,” he says, “Bale rolling for the family, dog show for the young, corn husking all ages, dairy, beef, horse show all ages. All of these activities would not be possible without the support and hard work of all board members and volunteers.”

     For more information on the Shelburne & District Fair at the Fair Grounds beside the Arena September 14th-16th, or if you would like to get involved, visit www.shelburnefair.com. Admission to the fair for one day is $7.

         

Facebooktwittermail


Readers Comments (0)


Sorry, comments are closed on this post.

Page Reader Press Enter to Read Page Content Out Loud Press Enter to Pause or Restart Reading Page Content Out Loud Press Enter to Stop Reading Page Content Out Loud Screen Reader Support