by CONNIE TABBERT
Editor
WHITEWATER REGION (Beachburg) — There was plenty of excitement during the 160th Beachburg Fair with fire during the demolition derby; face plants during the RAM Rodeo; screams of happiness, and sometimes fear, on the midway rides; and shouts of joy as fair-goers won at the games.
There was also plenty of musical entertainment, an area designed just for young children, plenty to eat, and of course the dairy and beef shows and a horse draw.
Mother Nature co-operated, and for as long as anyone can remember, it’s the first time there was not a drop of rain during the Beachburg Fair.
Fair board president Rona-Lee McCrea said, “It was a beautiful weekend. The crowd was very, very good.”
While she has been a member of the board for about 10 years, Ms. McCrea said it’s the first time as president, taking over from long-time president Adrian Vereyken.
She recalled 10 years ago when she was working at Beachburg school and there was a fair board meeting going on. She was waiting to lock-up and decided to sit in and listen to the meeting.
“Next thing I knew, I was recruited to the board,” she said with a laugh.
She advises everyone who participated in the exhibit hall and paid the $5 membership fee – they are now members of the board and can come out and volunteer to be on the board.
There are currently 17 members, four junior members plus the paid positions of treasurer and secretary.
While it’s difficult to know exactly how many volunteers there are because people just step up when required, there is a volunteer appreciation dinner to thank them.
“Our community is very good,” Ms. McCrea said. “I commend them. They come out of the woodwork when needed.
“Without the volunteers and sponsors, we would not have as successful a fair.”
In her speech during the opening ceremony Friday evening, Ms. McCrea recalled the fair’s start.
“If it wasn’t for David Beach hosting the first fair from his hotel in 1857, we wouldn’t be here today,” she said. “Can you imagine what he would think about how the fair has continued for so long and all the changes?
“I would like to thank all past presidents, vice-presidents and their board of directors for continuing the traditions of volunteering their time to plan exciting events each year for everyone to enjoy.”
To symbolize the efforts of the many directors and volunteers who have put on this show over the last 160 years, past-presidents of the Beachburg Agricultural Society and past Homecraft presidents came together on the Farmers Stage for a ceremonial ribbon cutting. Homecraft past-president Lois Dougherty cut the ribbon.
The crowning of Lil Mr. and Miss Beachburg occurred with help from volunteer Sarah Vereyken. They are Blake Barton and Breigha Mailman. The former Lil Mr. and Miss Beachburgs were invited onto the stage, going back to as far as 1993.
Whitewater Region Mayor Hal Johnson welcomed everyone to the 160th tradition of the Beachburg Fair. He noted the fair is a sign of the strong community, with great volunteers.
“We have such great volunteers,” he said. “We have phenomenal talent within our community.”
The fair has changed over the years, but change is a requirement of the future, he said.
Whitewater Region Reeve Terry Millar, who was representing County Warden Jennifer Murphy, said it’s amazing that the Beachburg Fair is older than Canada. “Kudos to you,” he said.
Friday night’s demolition derby was the biggest one so far, with organizers turning away vehicles, Ms. McCrea recalled.
The KidsZone was a popular spot, with a bubble machine, bouncy slides, face painting, a petting zoo and balloon creations. Ms. McCrea noted the play area is completely fenced in so parents can let their little ones roam and have fun while enjoying the shaded picnic tables.
There was a large crowd for the rodeo on Saturday, but much smaller on Sunday. She said in order to book the rodeo, there has to be two shows.
There were more spectators for the horse pull, and Ms. McCrea believes because people had a shaded area to sit in and watch, since it was moved into the show ring area.
There was a good variety of vendors in the arena, she said.
She was happy the Renfrew County 4H Exchange Club chose the Beachburg Fair for its community service.
“We had extra help behind the scenes,” she said. “We appreciated the extra help.”
Monday morning was clean-up and by noon, there were plenty of people to sit down to lunch, having worked hard to clean up the grounds.
Ms. McCrea is hopeful everyone had a great weekend at the fair.
“Feedback is always welcome,” she said. “It’s the community fair.”
Ms. McCrea said her first year as president was an eye-opener.
“There’s so much more responsibility,” she said. “People are always coming to you asking what to do with this and that.
“If a vendor shows up unexpectedly, they come to me for a solution; or if there’s a situation, they come to me for an answer.
“When I was just a member, I just stayed in my area and did my job.
“This year I was all over the place.”
But, Ms. McCrea said, if the board lets her, she’ll stay on as president.
The one thing she is hopeful of is that young people will become more involved with the fair, or even other community events. It’s been noticed it’s the same people who volunteer year after year – and they are aging.
“We would never discourage anyone from volunteering,” she said. “We always need new ideas, new ways of doing this.”
