The Spencerville Fair, also known as "The Biggest-Little Fair in Eastern Ontario" is an annual celebration of harvest which unites the surrounding community of

Spencerville, Ontario Spencerville is a rural community located in Eastern Ontario, within Edwardsburgh/Cardinal township in the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville. The village lies about 80 kilometers southwest of downtown Ottawa on Highway 416. The South Natio ...

every second weekend in September. The first fair was held in December 1855 on the south side of the

South Nation River The South Nation River is a river in Eastern Ontario, Canada. It springs from forests and marshes located north of Brockville, and it flows northeast to empty into the Ottawa River north of Plantagenet. Shows the river's course highlighted on a ...

. Today, the fair is held at the fair grounds in the middle of the village. These grounds contain a grandstand, race track, various show barns and a multimillion-dollar community building. The Spencerville fair is a much-anticipated event attended by over 30,000 people annually. Attractions include the many rides and games, the Saturday parade, numerous exhibits, the giant

pumpkin A pumpkin is a cultivar, cultivated winter squash in the genus ''Cucurbita''. The term is most commonly applied to round, orange-colored squash varieties, but does not possess a scientific definition. It may be used in reference to many dif ...

contest, teen and adult dances, cotton candy, bands, horse races, barbecues, midway, socials, and the fair Royalty Show, which consist of the Little Sir, Little Miss, Junior Ambassador and Ambassador competitions. The Spencerville Agricultural Society organizes this event and is made up of numerous community volunteers. The hard work and dedication of these members, as well as the families and visitors who attend this event annually have allowed this fair to continue and prosper for 162 years.

History

In 1854, the Leeds and Grenville County council passed a resolution granting the founding of agricultural societies within the two counties, one of which was the Township of Edwardsburg Agricultural Society (Now, Spencerville Agricultural Society). A year later, in 1855 the first fair was held on property settled by David Spencer. The following year, the fair changed locations to land donated to the society by David Spencer's daughter, Marcy Fairbairn. According to the fair's website, which compiled its information from the local newspaper archives and the Grenville historical society, in 1877 a delegation from

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

visited the fair to observe how the fair operated in regards to allotting prize money and the handling of exhibits. This helped lead to the founding of the

Canadian National Exhibition The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), also known as The Exhibition or The Ex, is an annual fair that takes place at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on the third Friday of August leading up to and including Labour Day (Canada), ...

in 1879.

References

External links

Spencerville Fair Web Site
Annual fairs Festivals established in 1855 Fairs in Ontario 1855 establishments in Canada {{Ontario-stub