The eight-day Weyburn Fair wrapped up on Sunday with the Demo Derby under warm and sunny skies.
After the Weyburn Ag Society struggled a bit with the Fair in the last couple of years, they came back strongly with an impressive show that stretched over a week, and I think they did a really good job with it.
Now, will the Ag Society want to do this every year? I suppose when they sit down and go over all the numbers, they will then be able to make a fully-informed decision about carrying on.
Personally, I think they should give this format a chance by developing it some more over the next couple of years, and who knows? They may find that combining the Rodeo and the Fair and the 4-H Show, and all the various features that go with it, works the best by concentrating all the activities into one very busy week.
It might take some getting used to, such as going to see the chuckwagons but having to wait until later in the week for the midway and rodeo. I had wondered about the 4-H kids, as in the past, they could always come down and see the midway and other Fair attractions when they weren’t involved in showing their animals in the Regional 4-H Show. This year, the 4-H show was all done with before the midway began. A suggestion is to have something feature-wise on mid-week, as there really wasn’t anything on between the end of the 4-H Show and the startup of the midway on Thursday evening. The midway could’ve ran longer, since the rides were actually up and in place by Tuesday, but didn’t operate until Thursday evening.
Weather-wise, there was no rain to speak of, and the temperatures were mostly nice until Friday and Saturday, when it got fairly hot — but of course, this is out of anyone’s control, while having a direct impact on whether people will come out for the activities set for a given day.
Ag Society president Jeff Clay pointed out one disappointment, namely there weren’t any volunteers who could organize and set up the Fair displays, like the photo contest, school work and 4-H projects. This is a long-standing tradition of the Fair, going back to its earliest days, so it would be nice if there was someone who came forward to organize that.
Of course, volunteers are what events like this are all about, and are the backbone of the Ag Society and the Fair. None of it could have happened without people stepping forward to help out wherever they’re needed.
It was good to see some new features at the Fair, like the Knockerballs, and the smokers cooking contest. Ideas like these are what help to keep the Fair fresh and interesting for people to come out and enjoy, along with the rides and fair food, the 4-H show and the rodeo.
