The following is a re-print of a past column by former Advertiser columnist Stephen Thorning, who passed away on Feb. 23, 2015.
Some text has been updated to reflect changes since the original publication and any images used may not be the same as those that accompanied the original publication.
Originally sponsored and fostered by the Canadian government in the 1840s and 1850s, agricultural societies were intended to educate farmers in new agricultural techniques, with the goal of raising the prosperity of the agricultural sector.
Shows and fairs quickly became major parts of their programs, filling an indispensable social need in the first generations of settlement. Wellington County has an admirable history of fall fairs staged by the various agricultural societies here.
That of the Erin Agricultural Society has a heritage that is perhaps richer than any of the others.
I have several times stumbled upon stories about the Erin Fair from 1930s newspapers published around the county. The tone in these stories is always one of “How do they do it?” The Erin Fall Fair enjoyed success and growth through the worst years of the depression, at a time when other fairs, with declining entries and falling attendance, thought it wise to scale back due to financial pressures.
For farmers, the Great Depression did not commence in 1929 or 1930. Farm and commodity prices peaked in the early 1920s, and for most of that decade farmers had to cope with the discouraging combination of rising prices for what they bought and falling prices for what they sold. The conditions of the 1930s made a bad situation worse. Some estimates placed the portion of vacant farms in the area between Fergus and Orangeville at 20% in the early 1930s.
It was a marvel that a fall fair could prosper in these conditions, but the Erin show managed to do just that. First time visitors sometimes commented “It’s a miniature CNE!”
High standards and capable administration enhanced the Erin Fair through the 1930s. It drew competitors from as far as Brampton in the east and Arthur Township in the north. Paid attendance hovered in the 3,500 range, more than the combined populations of Erin village and Erin Township.
The Erin Agricultural Society prided itself that it did not resort to innovations dabbled in by other fairs, such as horse racing, to boost attendance.
Each year seemed to have some special attraction, such as a parade of school floats in 1934. This helped to bring community support solidly behind the fair. As well, the merchants and residents of Erin village solidly backed the 100 or so members of the agricultural society in staging the show. Much credit should also go to the leaders of the organization in these years, such as W.F. McEnery and G.D. Scott.
The Erin Fair maintained the pride of farmers in their vocation, and provided an occasion for merriment and frivolity at a time when there was little to celebrate. Rising attendance through the early 1930s stimulated the agricultural society to make extensive improvements to the grounds and an addition to the hall in 1935, and to plan for the largest fair ever, with the dates set for Oct. 12 and 14, a Saturday and the following Monday. Everything shut up tight on Sundays in the 1930s.
Then, Prime Minister R.B. Bennett called a general election. The dates had to be changed to Oct. 11 and 12. Despite the change, and fears that displays would be dismal after a hot and dry summer, the 1935 fair drew the largest crowd in history. The judges awarded $2,275 in prize money.
It was very much a family-oriented event. In addition to huge horse, cattle and domestic sections, there were competitions for old time fiddlers, step dancing, baking and a baby contest.
Duncan Marshall, the Minister of Agriculture, officially opened the fair. There were literally hundreds of fall fairs in Ontario, and his presence attested to the importance and stature of the Erin Fair. The ceremony followed a parade led by the Guelph Pipe Band and featuring floats from many of the one-room schools in the area. Some events took place off the fair grounds. A full house enjoyed a concert in the Town Hall by Gus Kennedy and his troupe. The programs on both Friday and Saturday ended with dances at Stanley Park.
The success of the Erin Fall Fair continued through the 1940s, and as the decade closed, the agricultural society started to make plans for its Centennial Fair in 1950. Agriculture was enjoying a period of prosperity, the first in a generation, and the Centennial Fall Fair would reflect the fact. The dates were set for Oct. 7 and 9, a Saturday and Thanksgiving Monday.
Most organizations feared staging a major event on a holiday, but the Erin Fair had enjoyed considerable success in previous years with the main program on Thanksgiving Monday. Secretary George Burt distributed the prize list – a mammoth one at 113 pages – in late September. The society was working with a budget of some $14,000, up from $8,000 the previous year.
The grounds committee, led by Earnie Teeter, had been busy over the summer, constructing a new bandstand of Credit Valley stone, installing new flood lights and adding four acres of additional parking. Due to a single lane bridge in Erin, the Dept. of Highways thought it prudent to divert Highway 24 traffic around the village on township roads. It was a wise decision. More than 8,000 people, both locals and from afar, attended the 1950 Erin Fair.
The Saturday program included a huge horse show. The midway was a magnet for children and the day ended with fireworks. Also popular were the special competitions for Shorthorns and Herefords.
The hall was a bees nest of activity on both days of the fair. The Hillsburgh Band, the Brampton Clown Band, and the Guelph Pipe Band took turns providing music in the hall. Dr. Sutherland of the Wellington County Health Unit gave talks and demonstrations on pure water and domestic sanitation. There were sewing demonstrations, craft displays, flowers and school exhibits.
Col. Tom Kennedy, who had been premier of Ontario from 1948 to 1949, officially opened the fair from the new bandstand. Those tired of walking could take in the motion pictures shown at the Town Hall.
All that weekend, threatening skies and the occasional sprinkle of rain kept organizers on edge. Their luck ran out on Monday afternoon, when a heavy rain began to fall. All the rest of the outdoor events had to be cancelled. Some of the crowd went home early to Thanksgiving dinner, but most stayed, cramming into the shelter of the hall for another look at the exhibits.
The day ended with a dance at Stanley Park. The idle Sunday in the midst of the fair was becoming a source of frustration to some people by 1950. Stanley Park management pushed the boundaries a little by scheduling a dance for midnight on Sunday – it started at 12:05, which was officially Monday morning.
The 150th Erin Fall Fair this year continued the successes of the past. As hosts, the Erin Agricultural Society can rightly claim guardianship to one of the oldest and most significant traditions in Wellington County.
*This column was originally published in the Wellington Advertiser on Nov. 3, 2000.
