It’s beginning to feel like the Shawville Fair is coming

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Scott Campbell



Scott Campbell

The sights and the sounds that usher in the 157th annual Shawville Fair are getting closer for the Labour Day Weekend, August 29 to September 2, at the Fairgrounds. Sara Knox, 2013 Pontiac Agricultural Society president, spoke on some of this year’s new additions focused around the theme, ‘Celebrating 100 years of 4-H in Canada’.
“Saturday afternoon is a 4-H alumni show,” said Knox, recalling her first year of 4-H at 10 years old and helping run the 4-H booth and show beef cattle at the fair over the years. The plan is to have former 4-H members categorized by the decade in which they were born and show their animals for Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion. Another first is the sheep show on Sunday in the outside ring closest to the barns.
The fair posters, which have been popping up all over the area, are of a new design and according to Knox the less cluttered look has been getting positive comments. “It’s ‘Smart phone’ friendly,” she said of the schedule that can be scanned and downloaded. Schedule pamphlets can also be picked up at local businesses and on page 20.
A significant schedule change from previous years is the Fireman’s Challenge, now on Sunday afternoon at 3pm. The mini chuckwagon races inside the arena are also on Sunday following a successful first run last year.
“Friday morning will once again see about 500 children attending for the school program,” said Knox. Also for the family is local entertainer BUNJ-E the clown (see page 23), performing all weekend, and scheduled shows for ‘Little Ray’s Reptiles’ making a return after several years absence.
One of the new main stage acts will be ‘Fernandez’, the hypnotist who drew a large audience when the Ag Society brought him here this past spring; his shows are set for Saturday and Sunday.
The Pontiac County Women’s Institute has a theme of ‘Celebrate Pontiac County WI 100th Anniversary’ and will manage as always the display of baked goods, quilts, sewing, knit and crochet articles inside the Exhibition Hall. Beauce Carnaval, celebrating its 60th anniversary as an amusement rides’ company, will be part of the fair’s opening ceremony on Thursday evening.
“We aim to make all fair-goers feel like our guests,” concluded Knox.