‘All engines firing’ for Niagara Regional Exhibition
The Niagara Regional Exhibition faced a few obstacles a year and a half ago, but the 166-year-old show is headed back in the right direction.
Ray Ravazzolo, president of Niagara Agricultural Society, the non-profit organization that oversees the mid-September gathering and the Welland venue that hosts several events throughout the summer, said a full schedule of functions filling most weekends has been something to celebrate.
Governance issues and a shakeup of the society’s board members almost caused the exhibition to take a bit of a break last year, but they have persevered and carried on with the show with “all engines firing,” Ravazzolo said.
“We just moved full-steam ahead and kept going.”
Looking ahead to the three-day shindig that runs Sept. 14 to 16, Ravazzolo hopes support can be drawn from people all over Niagara, not just in the Rose City.
“We have to get people in the gates. It doesn’t matter if it’s a year-old or 200 years old. You need to have people attend,” he said.
A psychic fair and a car show are also planned at the fairgrounds, as well as the annual Ultimate Rodeo that will come out of the gate on Aug. 31.
At the signature exhibition in mid-September, there will be a beer tent, square dancing, games, a hockey circus that’s been featured on “Hockey Night in Canada,” as well as Carnival Diablo, a sideshow of “shocking” attractions based out of Ottawa.
“All this stuff is huge,” said Ravazzolo.
The exhibition depends on fees from groups who book their own events at the site, along with how many patrons pay the price of admission at the annual fair.
Some provincial funding is also handed down for season-to-season operation of the facility.
Some of the amenities at the site include two buildings, a barn, a grandstand and a horse show ring.
The Welland County Fair was founded by the agricultural society at Port Robinson in 1853 before it moved to Denistoun Street four years later.
The current location on Niagara Street opened in 1975.