August is just around the corner, and for the Huntingdon Agricultural Society’s board of directors, this has meant a series of work bees to ensure the fairgrounds are ready for this year’s 195th edition of the Huntingdon Fair.
The event will open on Thursday, August 10, with the traditional parade through town and opening ceremonies. This year’s theme for the parade is “Party till the cows come home,” and the jam-packed lineup of activities on tap suggests there is a lot of fun in store for fairgoers.
“We have been trying to find something for Thursday night,” says Huntingdon Agricultural Society president Glen Moore, of an exciting new addition to the Fair’s activities. Immediately following the firemen’s water ball competition at 9 p.m., the fairgrounds will be taken over by Border City Wrestling (BCW), for an exhilarating and action-packed evening of live professional wrestling.
Activities will continue Friday, August 11, and throughout the weekend, including daily presentations featuring wild and exotic animals by Pat’s Pet Show, two evenings of Association Sportive de Tire de Tracteurs du Québec (ASTTQ) tractor pulls, as well as pedal, lawn, and antique tractor pulls, the 4-H showmanship and cattle show, a horse show, beach volleyball tournament, demolition derby, and live music on Friday and Saturday nights.
Fair board members and several volunteers have been working overtime to repair most of the bleachers at the track. New boards and stairs have been placed, so it should be much easier for crowds to get up and down from the stands during the tractor pull and demolition derby events.
A new roof was installed earlier this spring on the century-old Promenade Building near the main entrance to the fairgrounds. Work was previously done to renovate the interior of the building to allow for more exhibitors during the fair. “It was dark and dingy, and you couldn’t do anything in it, but now it is all opened up,” says Moore, noting the building will house agricultural awareness activities presented by École-O-Champ and different initiatives by the Ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries, et de l’Alimentation (MAPAQ), a cantine, and much more.
Moore says the fair board is working hard to balance the traditional elements of the agricultural fair with the modern aspects fairgoers now expect, including the midway. The entrance fee includes access to all the activities, including the midway rides and events on the track.
“We are also trying to get some new blood in there,” he says of the board, noting current members have been working for years to put on a good show and some are beginning to think of retiring. “We’re not going to last forever,” he laughs, saying the hope is that some younger people will bring new ideas to the fore and the fair will continue to grow and expand.
