Baby Show winners
The Baby Show is a long-standing tradition at the Chesterville Fair. From the left, George, Cathy and Logan Armstrong; Michael, Rebecca and Brigette Ritchie; Allison, Lilah and Tyler Jones; Trisha and Zoey Lacombe; Matt and Iya Van Gurp; Al, Lindsay and Morgan Krumins. Thompson Goddard photo
The always popular demolition derby was the main attraction on Sat., Aug. 24, in the evening in front of the fairgrounds’ grandstand. There was a different feature at the derby this year called the derby cross where the cars race around the ring with two ramps, which made for some exciting maneuvers. The number 57 car got hit on the ramp and was turned sideways for a while. The car got free and went on to win the heat.
Moore photo
CHESTERVILLE–What a weekend! From the arrival of the Homecraft entries on Thursday evening through to the final tractor roaring down the track in front of the grandstands, there was plenty of fun to experience, food to eat, as well as opportunities to visit with family and friends during the 2019 Chesterville Fair.
Over the months since the 2018 fair, members of the Chesterville & District Agricultural Society and other volunteers have spent hours and hours of their time planning a weekend of fun for the community. It all came to fruition, when the gates opened around 4 p.m. on Friday and people began to arrive. The opening ceremonies on Friday evening included a performance by the Capital City Cowgirls, with CDAS president Carol Johnson mentioning that one of the highlights for her was when she and Ann Vanderlind, the Society’s 1st vice president, were able to carry the colours while riding during the CCC’s performance.
Agriculture has certainly made a return to the Chesterville Fair with the Goat Show, Poultry Show, Hunter Jumper Horse Show as well as several entries in Grain and Hay Competition and the performances by Lorie Duff on horsemanship. The Youth Beef Show featured several entries including several from the Stormont County 4-H Heritage Beef Club that included Herford’s, Galaway-Piedmontese and Dexter cattle. Yvonne Seeley, one of the club leaders, explained the club seeks to provide people with information on the heritage breeds which came to Canada early in its history. She added that Dexter cattle came to this country from Ireland during the late 1800s and early 1900s, becoming an integral part of early settlement to this country.
As the 2019 Chesterville Fair wound down, Homecraft awards were present- ed in the Exhibition Hall. From the left: Carol Johnson won the Viewer Choice Award, Dan Gasser won the Newest Exhibitor Award, Shirley Coons won the award for the most overall points for entries in Homecraft, with Eeva Francis winning the award for 3-5 year olds and Lukas Francis picking up the award for Junior Youth.
Thompson Goddard photo
Staples of the Chesterville Fair, the Truck Pull, the Demolition Derby and the tractor pull provided a lot of entertainment for fairgoers. Dan Gasser, a volunteer at the Chesterville Fair, mentioned that the location of the refreshment tent provided an opportunity to sit, rest and visit with friends with a good view of fair attractions and opportunity to enjoy the music in a relaxed setting.
The weather certainly cooperated with sunny skies and comfortable temperatures throughout the weekend. For the youngsters there was the chance to see some animals at the Vanderlaand Barnyard Zoo location or perhaps take in a magic show, participate in some crafts at the Kidzone Tent, then enjoy the inflatable rides from Tribeck Inflatables. For the older crowd, there were some very well attended fair dances, great food vendors to choose from, the chance to peruse the Homecraft displays or vendor booths, the opportunity to enjoy musicians from the McCloskey’s Series and visit with friends and relive some of their favourite fair memories.
In the Exhibition Building there were vendor booths as well as an opportunity to view the Homecraft entries after judging on Friday morning. Winners in Homecraft were announced on Sunday afternoon and are as follows: Senior Youth: Rylin Smith, Shaelan Smith; Junior Youth: Lukas Francis, Rylan Ouellette; 3-5 year olds: Ryan Ouellette, Eeva Francis; Seniors: Helen Holmes; Newest Exhibitor: Dan Gasser; Most Overall Points: Shirley Coons, Andree Desormeaux, Helen Holmes. The Viewer Choice Award was presented to Carol Johnson.
As the fair weekend began to wind down, CDAS president Johnson commented how “we are enjoying a weekend of great weather and the support of our awesome community that we are proud to be a part of,” with Vanderlind mentioning how it had been “a great weekend” with attendance up this year. Gasser, a former CDAS president, mentioned how he was really proud of the work done by the CDAS board of directors this year, and of course all the volunteers who have been working so hard since late last year to bring the fair to town.
Carolyn Thompson Goddard, grew up in Chesterville and attended North Dundas District High School. After completing her BA in Political Science at Carleton University she has worked as a medical secretary and library technician. In 2020 she graduated from Algonquin College with a diploma in Journalism and has been a reporter and column writer for The Chesterville Record for over 10 years.
