Markham Fair: Difference between revisions
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The original fairground was located at the present day Markham Village Library at southeast corner of Markham Road and Highway 7 (farmland of R.G. Armstrong). The fair moved to the current site in 1977, as the original fairground area grew less agricultural. |
The original fairground was located at the present day Markham Village Library at southeast corner of Markham Road and Highway 7 (farmland of R.G. Armstrong). The fair moved to the current site in 1977, as the original fairground area grew less agricultural. |
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The current library building was built to mimic the shape of the old Agricultural Hall that once stood at the site (along what is now Highway 7 on the south side from Washington Street to |
The current library building was built to mimic the shape of the old Agricultural Hall that once stood at the site (along what is now Highway 7 on the south side from Washington Street to Jerman Street). A fire in 1916 burned down the new hall, ice rink and other buildings. Only the rink was rebuilt (years later) on the site and currently part of the [[Markham Village, Ontario#Markham Village Community Centre|Markham Village Community Centre]]. |
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==Events== |
==Events== |
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Revision as of 04:01, 3 October 2017
| Markham Fair | |
|---|---|
| File:Markham Fair 1.jpg These junior exhibitors are being judged for their handling abilities | |
| Genre | fall fair/Agricultural show |
| Dates | 3 days (week before Thanksgiving: last week of September or first week of October) |
| Location(s) | Markham, Ontario |
| Years active | 180 years |
| Gegründet | 1844 |
| Website | http://markhamfair.ca |
Markham Fair is one of Canada's oldest country fairs, an annual event established in 1844 and hosted by the Markham, Ontario and East York agricultural society.[1] With over 700 volunteers working on more than 70 committees, Markham Fair is the largest community-based volunteer organization in Canada. The fair and fairgrounds are owned by the Markham and East York Agricultural Society.
The fair occurs annually on the weekend before Canadian Thanksgiving, and hosts upwards of 80,000 attendees. Approximately 3,000 exhibitors enter more than 12,000 items, which are judged and put on display during the fair. Promoting excellence through competition in this way makes fairs unique in comparison to other events.
Agricultural societies used to meet on a regular basis to discuss various concepts of agricultural improvement such as livestock development and increased grain yields. Often the society would collectively purchase a bull or seed grain, which would be made available to members only. The fall fair would then be an opportunity for the farmers to compete by showing off the fruits of their labour. Due to increased technology and rapid communication, agricultural societies no longer find it necessary to provide this service, but the Markham Fair continues to create the forum known as the fall fair, providing the community with a showcase for talents and products in a friendly competitive spirit.
As well as the competitive displays, the community is further brought together to enjoy various forms of entertainment such as horse pull, demolition derby, tractor pull, midway rides and displays of farm animals.
Fairgrounds
The fairgrounds are located in northern Markham at the northeast corner of McCowan Road and Elgin Mills Road and sits of 104 acres (42 ha) of former farm land (once farmed by Jonathan 'John' Williamson).
The site has several buildings used to house trade shows and other events. A 1/2-mile track and 4 wood stables are used to store animals. To the east of the fairgrounds is Little Rouge Creek.
The original fairground was located at the present day Markham Village Library at southeast corner of Markham Road and Highway 7 (farmland of R.G. Armstrong). The fair moved to the current site in 1977, as the original fairground area grew less agricultural.
The current library building was built to mimic the shape of the old Agricultural Hall that once stood at the site (along what is now Highway 7 on the south side from Washington Street to Jerman Street). A fire in 1916 burned down the new hall, ice rink and other buildings. Only the rink was rebuilt (years later) on the site and currently part of the Markham Village Community Centre.
Events
Many shows and events are showcased throughout the duration of the fair. In previous years these shows have included:
- Agri-food Tent Shows (cooking shows)
- Gymnastics demonstration
- Freestyle Moto-Cross (FMX) Bike Demonstration
- Demolition Derby
- Tractor Pull
- Sheep Shearing Demonstration
Other events
A number of local events use the fairgrounds outside of the fair days including home shows, trade shows and warehouse sales.
Midway
World's Finest Shows runs the midway located at the West Gate of the fairgrounds.
History
The earliest recorded fair held in Markham was in 1857 at the fairgrounds then located on the South East corner of the junction of Highways 7 (Wellington Street) and 48. In 1865 Captain William Armstrong granted 5 acres (2.0 ha) of his land for the fairgrounds to build several buildings. In 1916 a fire destroyed those buildings and were later replaced with a larger Agricultural Hall (Crystal Palace) to house the fair.[2]
In 1963 the Markham Village Cenotaph and Community Centre (including ice rink) was added and in 1977 the Fair relocated to its current site where the four-day fair is held annually on the weekend preceding Canadian Thanksgiving. The Markham Village Library was built in 1980-1981 (on land bought by the Town of Markham in 1975) now occupies the site of the old fairgrounds.
Board of directors
The society us an Ontario corporation that owns and operates the fair and its properties. It is governed by a board of 24 directors, who are elected at each annual meeting for a three-year period, and six junior directors (between the ages of 18-26) who are elected annually for a one-year period. All directors are elected by members of the society who attend the annual meeting. From among the directors, the President (Chair) and two vice-presidents are elected following the annual meeting, along with a Treasurer, General Manager, and Secretary.
Mission
The mission of the society is to encourage an awareness of agriculture and to promote improvements in the quality of life of persons living in an agricultural community by:
- researching and developing programs to meet the needs of the community;
- holding annual agricultural exhibitions featuring competitions for which prizes may be awarded;
- promoting the conservation of natural resources;
- encouraging the beautification of the community; and by
- supporting and providing facilities to encourage activities to enrich the community
In addition, there are over 750 volunteers involved with the operations, which fill the board seats and form some 75 committees, which share administrative duties and the Fair operating procedures.
See also
Other Canadian annual fairs
- Canadian National Exhibition - Toronto
- Calgary Stampede - Calgary
- Edmonton K-Days - Edmonton
- Pacific National Exhibition - Vancouver
- Central Canada Exhibition - Ottawa
- Canadian Lakehead Exhibition - Thunder Bay
- Red River Exhibition - Winnipeg
- Royal Agricultural Winter Fair - Toronto
- Royal Manitoba Winter Fair - Brandon, Manitoba
- Schomberg Fair - Schomberg, Ontario
- Sooke Fall Fair - Sooke, British Columbia
- Streetsville Bread and Honey Festival - Mississauga
- Western Fair - London, Ontario
References
- ^ For a fuller history, Cf. Isabel Champion, ed., Markham: 1793-1900 (Markham, ON: Markham Historical Society, 1979), pp. 266-270; also Myra Chepack, "Markham Fair President 1910: James McCreight Armstrong," Markham Fair official website.
- ^ "Markham Village Heritage Tour". City of Markham. Retrieved 2016-01-14.
External links