Organizers of the Queens County Fair are hopeful the event won’t be blown away again this year.
The fair was ready to reopen after the pandemic in 2022 but Hurricane Fiona forced the cancellation of most of the week-long activities.
The agricultural fair held each year in Caledonia features livestock competitions, oxen and horse pulls, as well as an arts and crafts fair and vegetable displays.
Secretary/Manager of the fair Doreen Holdright says visitors will enjoy some new activities this year along with some old favourites. “For the adults we’ve added a tug-of-war competitions, which we haven’t had there for years,” said Holdright. “And oh yes, we will still be having our ladies frying pan toss, and the gentlemen’s toilet seat toss and Saturday we will be having a woodsman competition again. We’ve got a jam-packed schedule.”
The Queens County Fair will run from Sep 19 – 23 this year. Another change people will want to note is the parade, which would normally take place on Wednesday, has been moved to Tuesday to avoid conflicts with other events.
Holdright says anyone wishing to be part of the parade can do so up until the day of, by contacting the organizing committee.
She says the organizing team of 50 or so dedicated volunteers worked hard this year to make the fair more kid friendly.
Children under 12 will get in for free Tuesday and in addition to including a midway for the first time in many years an area will be dedicated to keeping them entertained. “We have a committee that’s set up just to work with the kids for a couple of hours early in the evening, that they can watch movies or play games or do activities,” said Holdright.
Returning visitors will also notice the kitchen and dining room facilities at the fairgrounds have just been completely renovated to improve the dining experience.
The five-day-long event usually attracts over 5,000 people and Holdright hopes the added events and changes to the facility will help that number grow.
Ticket information and an event schedule for the 2023 edition is available on the Queens County Fair Facebook page.
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