The 2011 Port Perry Fair
The Port Perry Fair celebrates agriculture every Labour Day weekend. The action starts at 2:00 pm Saturday, with the Mid-way. The Opening Ceremonies will be held at 5:30 pm at the fair grandstand followed by the ever-popular Demolition Derby.
Sunday the Port Perry Agriculture Fair will be in full swing with 4-H Shows, Beef Cattle show, Holstein cattle show, Pari- Mutual Harness Horse Racing. A variety of musical entertainment in the Entertainment Shelter ending with our headliner at 9:00pm
Monday Heavy Horses will be featured and the spectacular bull riding event on Monday. Come share in the thrills and excitement of these.
All days will feature various shows at our entertainment shelter. Lets see you at the Port Perry Agricultural Fair!
About Us
THE PORT PERRY AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY
The Board of Directors of the Port Perry Agricultural Society and many additional volunteers organize and run the Port Perry Fair. The Society, first established in 1856, is a member of the Ontario Association of Agricultural Societies. This year we celebrate our 156th Anniversary.
THE FAIR WHERE URBAN MEETS RURAL
Our fair is a wonderful blend of traditional agricultural exhibits featuring competitions and many prizes. We provide beautiful fairgrounds in the heart of a small Ontario town with fun activities for the entire family. See our Events page for ideas on what you can See, Do and Exhibit.
The competitions are open to everyone, with age rules for some categories, so bring in your beautiful vegetables even if you're a backyard "farmer." Every year we publish an Exhibitor's Book with all of the classes for entry and potential prize money, rules and entry forms. Our Teen Art section has been updated and there are great prizes available to be won. For entry lists click here.
History
Fairs began as a place of fellowship,
exhibition and trade
Ever since the invention of oxen and carts, or boats capable of carrying goods, market places have sprung up at agreed-upon places and agreed-upon times. Fairs were temporary things of a few days, and had to deal with bad roads and bandits along the way. They could operate only under the protection of a strong war lord or Count. (Indeed, that is where the word 'county' comes from). And the Count would extract a fair 'fee' from the participants for his protection. Fairs differed from carnivals and markets in that there was a major emphasis on exhibition and fellowship, as well as trade. Carnivals were more apt to be theme 'entertainment'. Many towns grew around the places where at first there were only periodic Fairs, Carnivals or markets.
Agricultural Fairs specialized in agricultural products and needs, and there were only a few times during a year when a farmer was free enough from the demands of keeping livestock, or tending fields, to make the difficult trip along rustic tracks to a distant Fair. People in the business of buying what the farms produced (and those selling to farmers what they needed) would try to attend many Fairs, and brought with them enough comforts to entertain themselves and others to make attending the Fairs both fun as well as profitable. Impromptu athletic contests and races would evolve into an evening of singing and dancing.
At the turn of the century, a County would typically divide its agricultural areas into local regions of no more than 12 or 15 miles in diameter, which was about the distance a farmer could travel in a day over the roads of the times to bring his produce. And so originally there were many little Township Fairs. The Province of Ontario still has some 233 local Fairs run by local Agricultural Societies.
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