Shelburne District Fair

Barns, Boots and Bales

Admission: Food Bank Donation / Cash Donation to the Shelburne Fair

Shelburne Fall Fair to mark 158th event with demolition derby, ‘Food Frenzy,' agricultural excellence

Written By PAULA BROWN

LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER

The summer season has slipped away for another year, and Shelburne residents are gearing up to welcome in the cooler months with the return of the Shelburne Fall Fair. 

The Shelburne District Agricultural Society will be hosting the 158th Annual Shelburne Fall Fair from Friday, Sept. 12, to Sunday, Sept. 14.

“It's a fun three days in the Town of Shelburne with a lot of different activities for all ages. The fall fair is a big volunteer and sponsorship collaboration and we're glad to see the community step up and support to bring it back to the community,” said Shelburne District Agricultural Society President Murray Crawford. “We always welcome new people to come out for a great experience and so if you want to have fun come out to the Shelburne Fall Fair.”

The 2025 Shelburne Fall Fair will kick off on Friday, Sept. 12, with a “Food Frenzy” of different food trucks for visitors to try while they watch the Junior and Senior Ambassador Competition.

Visitors will enjoy a variety of shows, competitions and activities starting on Saturday, including a pancake breakfast, horse pull competition, dog show, tractor and ATV pulls, and bicycle races.

Families will also get to participate in farm games, including potato sack, egg spoon, wheelbarrow, and round bale races.

The festivities will continue on Sunday with a beef cattle show, sheep show, Dad's stroller race, corn husking, and the penultimate event – the demolition derby. 

Last year, the Shelburne District Agricultural Society introduced a children's category for the demolition derby called the “Power Wheels.”

“I was very surprised at the response we got. We had 14 kids entered with their power wheels and they had no fear,” said Crawford. “The kids really enjoyed it and the crowd loved it.”

This year's theme for the Shelburne Fall Fair is “Barns, Boots and Bales.”

“It's a mishmash of agriculture around Shelburne and the community. You have the old barns, the bales in the field and the boots the farmers put on to do the chores,” explained Crawford.

The Shelburne Fall Fair is the longest standing annual event in the community, even dating back to before the Town of Shelburne was officially established. The first Shelburne Fall Fair was held on the roadside in Masonville in October of 1868 as a one-day event. In 1888, Simon Jelly, the older brother of William Jelly and one of the original family members to settle in town, gave 16 acres of his farm, which to this day serves as the location for the fairgrounds. 

In 2017, the Shelburne District Agricultural Society celebrated the 150th anniversary of the fair. 

The 2025 Shelburne Fall Fair will be held from Sept. 12 to Sept. 14 at the Shelburne Fairgrounds, located at 377 William Street. 

For a complete schedule of the events and their specific times at this year's fall fair, visit the Shelburne Fall Fair website at www.shelburnefair.weebly.com.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

FRIDAY                                                                                                                                                FOOD TRUCK FRENZIE 5:00-9:00 pm                                                                                                                                               *FAIR AMBASSADOR COMPETITION at 7:00pm                                                                                                                            

SATURDAY  10:00 - 5:00

1 PARKING 

2 PONY RIDES/ PETTING ZOO- ALL-DAY  

3 INFORMATION

4 HURON TRACTOR DISPLAY

5 EXHIBITS6 KID ZONE

7 VENDORS -ALL-DAY

8 ACCESSIBLE PARKING

9 WASHROOMS

10 FOOD COURT -ALL DAY

11 BICYCLE RACES at 10:00 

12 PANCAKE BREAKFAST at 10:30 - 11:30

13 HORSE PULL COMPETITION at 11:00 

14 WOOD CARVING at 11:00 - 3:00

15 FACE PAINTING at 10:00 – 4:30

16 BABY SHOW /DIAPER RACES at 11:00

17 KIDS TRACTOR PULL at 11:45

18 FARMER GAMES

     •POTATO SACK RACES at 11:45

     •EGG SPOON RACES at 12:00

     •WHEELBARROW RACES at 12:15 

     •DAD'S STROLLER RACES at 12:45     

19 DAIRY SHOW at 1:00

20 GARDEN TRACTOR & ATV PULLS at 1:00      

21 DOG SHOW at 1:30 

22 PIE EATING at 3:00

FREE ICE CREAM GIVEAWAY at 1:30 

MUSIC PROVIDED BY ANTHONY THE SINGING COWBOY

SUNDAY 10:00 - END OF DERBY

1 PARKING

2 PONY RIDES/PETTING ZOO - ALL DAY

3 INFORMATION

4 EXHIBITS

5 HURON TRACTOR DISPLAY

6 KID ZONE– ALL DAY 

7 VENDORS -ALL-DAY

8 ACCESSIBLE PARKING

9 WASHROOMS

10 FOOD COURT -ALL DAY

11 GLITTER TATTOOS at 10:00 - 5:00

12 BEEF CATTLE SHOW at 10:00

13 SHEEP SHOW at 10:00

14 CALF CLUB SHOW at 10:00

15 4-H SHEEP SHOW at 10:00  

16 PANCAKE BREAKFAST at 10:30 - 11:30

17 WOOD CARVING at 11:00 - 3:00

18 FACE PAINTING at 11:00 – 3:00

19 BABY SHOW at 11:30 

20 DAD'S STROLLER RACES at 12:00 

21 FARMER GAMES 

     •POTATO SACK RACES at 12:30

     •EGG SPOON RACES at 1:00 

     •CORN HUSKING RACES at 1:15 

     •KIDS MINI ROUND BALE RACE at 1:30

     •FAMILY ROUND BALE at 1:45 

22 POWER WHEELS DEMO DERBY at 2:00

23 DEMOLITION DERBY at 3:00

 MUSIC PROVIDED BY ANTHONY THE SINGING COWBOY