For the past 25 years nothing has signalled autumn’s arrival more than heading up Padgett Road to Powell River’s annual Fall Fair at Paradise Exhibition Grounds.
This year’s fair promises more family fun, great agricultural demonstrations, displays and entertainment for the young and old alike. It runs from noon to 5 pm on Saturday and Sunday, September 22 and 23.
The Fall Fair is all about promoting local farmers, artists, artisans and bakers. “The baking and all the food offered by the vendors is good quality,” said Cathy McLean, fair organizer. “Powell River is GMO-free [genetically modified organisms] and we don’t allow the use of canola oil in our baking. You can‘t just go to the store and buy a mix. Everything is done from scratch.”
Entertainment highlights include magic shows, Zumbatomic dancing, local musicians Nancy Tyler and Cameron Twyford performing songs and the Clansmen Pipe Band who will open the show with MLA Nicholas Simons.
In addition to performances, many demonstrations and displays have also been arranged. “The exhibit hall will be full of entries,” said McLean. “People have entered their jams and jellies, or their pies, flowers or veggies. There will be a kids’ section so they can enter their baking or their vegetables or duplicates of adult classes.”
Demonstrations will range widely from performances by the Society for Creative Anachronism, who will reenact scenes from Medieval European times, to watching sheep herding and learning how to make a composter from an old freezer.
Children will enjoy taking a ride on Powell River Forestry Museum’s miniature train, which will be set up to take riders around the fair grounds, making vegetable art, taking a look in the animal barns and playing in the children’s centre.
Parking at Paradise Exhibition Grounds is limited, so fair organizers have set up a free shuttle bus service, compliments of the City of Powell River, to take people from Town Centre Mall right up to the fair grounds. It’s a smaller bus so the shuttle will make more runs.
This year fair organizers have brought in a bike rack for cyclists to lock up their bikes at the grounds.
Admission for the fair is $3 for adults and children under 12 are admitted for free. Because there is a lot of livestock at the fair, event organizers are asking people to leave their four-legged friends at home.
More information about the Fall Fair can be found on the Powell River Fall Fair Facebook page.
