Picton’s three-day agricultural event opens fair season

Story and photos by Sharon Harrison
September’s fair calendar opened with Picton’s event, fondly anticipated by County residents, this past weekend, and spanning three days.

Whether it was earning bragging rights for who grew the biggest, the tastiest, the tallest or the best – in whatever category in a huge range of varying categories – countless local residents participated in the judged exhibits, contributing their wares and highlighting numerous skills.

But it is the fair’s agricultural element that is at the heart of the event each year, and has been historically. From horses and ponies, to beef cattle and dairy calves, to goats and donkeys, geese and chickens and ducks, and many more besides, there were shows and displays and a whole lot of farm animals and livestock to learn about and admire.

It was a good day for the fair Saturday, and while it began with a dark, grey sky and persistent rain, by mid-morning the rain had cleared, and the sun even made an appearance in the afternoon on what turned out to be warm, breezy day after a cool, damp start.

With a slew of entertainment, events and exhibitors filling the fairgrounds, both inside all the different buildings, and outside too, the fair wouldn’t be a fair without a midway, a huge attraction for many. And, of course, a fall fair isn’t a fall fair either without a huge range of food options and all the delicious competing aromas filling the air from all the different food trucks.

Judged exhibits for every age and skill level included a large 4-H Club contingent with child and youth art exhibits ranging from paintings to writing to an assortment of arts and crafts. Other categories included baked goods, artwork, photography, vegetables, flower displays, potted plants, and crafts, among them, where many were afforded winning ribbons for entries. Exhibits also included homecrafts, such as quilts, knitting, spinning, woodcrafts, embroidery and more.

Babies were adored in the baby show, so were the dogs in the dog show, which also came with tricks and costumes (for both animal and human).

The 16th annual Bake Off Challenge raised $17,775 for the Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital’s Back the Build Campaign. Among more than 50 entries were a special class of apple pies baked in memory of former Deputy Fire Chief Jim Young, the show’s inaugural apple pie winner in 2009.

The fair featured contests galore, from arm wrestling and skateboarding, to a circus lumberjack show, and a fire show, along with a number of live music stages.

Agriculture has always at the root of the Picton fair, and while much has changed over its long and illustrious history, agriculture remains a key component. From farm animals to vintage tractor displays (a tractor pull too) to huge farm equipment displays, to grown produce, to livestock shows, it is a fair for farmers, bakers, growers, artists, producers and contributors of all kinds.

Run entirely by volunteers, the fair is put on each year by the Prince Edward Agricultural Society (established 1931), and is one of Ontario’s oldest agricultural fairs – stated to be its 188th year. Picton’s fair is followed next week by the Milford Fair, followed by the Ameliasburgh event.

Peter Rea, of The Reasons

Having first got her first painted with a unicorn, Bloomfield resident June Carleton (almost three years old) headed over to the horse ring with mum Ashley Carleton to watch one of the many horse shows happening throughout the fair weekend.