By CONNIE TABBERT
Editor
WHITEWATER REGION (Cobden) – Mother Nature co-operated and this year’s Cobden Fair was a success.
While many people are saying, “This is the summer that never was,” due to the cooler temperatures and rainy days, the Cobden Fair weekend made up for it, said Tara Tennant, president of the Cobden Agricultural Society, which hosts the fair. “It was a really, really good fair. There were no major incidents. There were a couple of bumps in the road but we were able to correct the issues.”
The new midway this year, World’s Finest Show, was spectacular, she said. Her husband, Warren Hurd, is a socializer and while in the midway talked to a lot of people.
“The people were really impressed,” he told her.
Ms. Tennant noted the layout of the fair was changed a bit this year, with the midway and booths setting up in the parking lot.
“This meant as soon as you walked through the front gate, boom, you were at the fair,” she said.
Attendance this year was just under 5,700, which is down about 300 from last year, Ms. Tennant said. She noted attendance was up Friday and Sunday, but down Saturday.
“This is the second year in a row we’ve increased attendance on Sunday, which is what we wanted to do,” she said.
However, she’s not disappointed with the attendance.
“Anything over 5,000 is great,” Ms. Tennant said. “We base our budget on 5,000 people.”
What really helped with the attendance was the advance sales, which was the highest sold. She’s hopeful that number will increase if more sales outlets are available, especially in the Pembroke area.
Sunday has always been the least well-attended day, but it was a “great day to come to the fair.” There was the beef show, the heavy and miniature horse show and some great entertainment, Ms. Tennant noted.
The midway also opens an hour earlier, and since it is a quieter day, there are no lines and the crowd is manageable.
Events this year included livestock shows — beef and dairy cattle, miniature and heavy horse, horse draw, sheep show and rabbit agility shows; the midway, checking out the exhibits in the senior and youth hall; vendors in the arena; fun and games for children; and of course, the home-cooked meals.
Ms. Tennant noted the office staff were both two on the scene, joining in May. Jenna Hedden, the summer student, and Karen Campbell, the newly-hired secretary, did fabulous jobs, she said.
And she knows how difficult the secretary’s job can be, because she was once in that position. In 2011 she returned to Cobden after being away for 15 years and volunteered go put together the fair book when stepfather Jim Ness told her how busy they were in the office. The next year, she was hired as the secretary, but having to quit a year later because working two part-time jobs, and having two small children, was just too much work.
However, Ms. Tennant remained active with the fair when she became a director. And now, this was her first year as president.
“It’s usually for a two-year term, but it will be confirmed in January at the annual general meeting,” she said.
While there is a core group of volunteers – 12-member board with room for 15 – Ms. Tennant said, “It’s takes a volunteer army” to operate the fair. There are volunteers for every area of the fair – the derby, upper booth, kitchen, exhibit hall, livestock shows – and on and on, she explained.
Ms. Tennant noted anyone who paid to exhibit in the senior and junior booth, are now members of the Cobden Agricultural Society, which means they have a say in what happens. They can attend the annual general meeting, which is usually in January, and vote, or even get onto the board, if the so desire. However, anyone can provide suggestions or even ideas on what the would like to see at the fair, she said. They can do this by sending a message through facebook, going to the office or calling, 613-646-2426. A board member volunteers for a three-year term, she added.
Ms. Tennant noted this is a community event, a community effort and the community certainly showed up.
“Do you know Vera (McBride) had 150 pies donated for the suppers, 150 pies, that’s a lot!” she said.
While the Cobden Fair weekend is a busy one for Ms. Tennant, as many people come to her when there’s an issue, she said, “I’ve always loved the fair. It’s a lot of fun.
“It gives you fulfilment on fair weekend when you see all the people enjoying themselves.
“I always take time to go stand on the hill and just look from one end of the fairground to the other,” Ms. Tennant said, adding, “You know everything that went into making this a great weekend for everyone to enjoy.”
