Ayer’s Cliff Fair at a glance
Wednesday was a busy day at the Ayer’s Cliff fairground. Organizers were running from end to end making sure the buildings were ready for the weekend’s festivities.
The forecast for the weekend, which plays a major role in fair attendance, looked promising despite the intermittent drizzles Wednesday as carts zipped around with volunteers fine-tuning the installations.
According to fair secretary Jennifer Bowen, registrations for miniature
horses at the fair this year are way up with 52 entries, making it the biggest miniature horse show in Quebec.
Draft and light horses, dairy and beef, on the other hand, are down this year.
“It depends on the farmers,” Bowen said, explaining things fluctuate slightly every year. She also pointed out that as older farmers retire from fair participation, there are less younger farmers getting involved.
“They don’t come like they used to,” she said.
Vendor participation is high, Bowen said, on a positive note. Visitors will also enjoy a magician show over the weekend, as well as plenty of other entertainment, including Robby Johnson and Bobby Wills, to name a few.
Bowen said Ayer’s Cliff Fair would feature a new midway this year, provided by Fun Show Amusement.
While registrations are lower in the large animal categories, Bowen said there are upward trends in the Ladies’ and Childrens’ departments.
That’s thanks to new rules, explained Jennifer Mackinnon, head of the Ladies’ Department.
This year, participants who enter three or more articles can get a four-day pass to the fair for $25.
“Already, entries and exhibitor numbers are up,” Mackinnon said. The idea came about to make the fair more affordable to older participants, but the new rule will also encourage children to enter more categories, she explained.
Previously, if a knitter entered one tea cozy, the cost was $45. Now, they will have an opportunity to show more articles and benefit from a lower entry rate, Mackinnon said.
“We’re hoping we will have enough showing space,” she said.
The Ladies’ Department at the fair, situated in the main building, also includes a historical element.
Ellie and Jim Bailey were on site Wednesday helping set up the history corner, complete with old tools and equipment, posters and prize tickets dating back decades.
Ellie explained she has been coming to the fair since 1959, when she was seven years old.
In addition to helping set up the history corner, Jim Bailey helped out with another piece of history for the fair.
Last week he installed a large display case in the dining hall to hold the fair trophies.
“Normally they just sit in boxes,” Bailey said.
The display cases hold the history of fair winners from a variety of categories, everything from hitches to horse pulls, beef, dairy, as well as 4-H competitions.
Bailey made them out of two old captain’s beds turned on their sides, using chicken wire instead of glass on the front, to maintain authenticity, Bailey said.
Horse racing is one of the highlights at Ayer’s Cliff Fair.
“The track is in good shape,”explained Peter Mcharg, in charge of the upcoming races.
“When we started 174 years ago, horses used to be the main attraction, Mcharg said. “We haven’t altered that,” he added.
The showing of all breeds, draft and light, evolved into races naturally over the years.
These days, because of the work and cost involved in horse racing, few people participate. Mcharg said there used to be around eight or ten local competitors for Ayer’s Cliff horse races. He could only think of one person from the area still competing. The rest come from across Quebec, he said.
While the races are a big draw for the fair, Mcharg said different participants supporting each other is what has kept the fair thriving for 174 years.
“What makes this fair is that people come here now for everything, he said, not just the horse races or the dairy show. “A person who brings one flower is as important as the person who brings a herd of cattle,” Mcharg commented, explaining that all of the fair participants to support each other.