The Emo Fall Fair is back.
The Rainy River Valley Agricultural Society is planning events for August 20-21.
Last year’s fair was cancelled due to the pandemic.
Board member Angela Halverson says they are cautiously excited about its return.
“Of course, we have all of the COVID rules and safety regulations that we have to abide by, so we are proceeding with caution. But we are proceeding, and we’re looking forward to having a fair again,” says Halverson.
There will be no midway. Halverson says Select Shows has decided not to travel to Ontario.
There will be many other events and activities to fill the void.
“Dom’s Inflatable Bouncy Castles will be coming with four of their big bouncy castles for the kids to play on. Our Fair Queens will be doing some what we call fair games, which are kind of old-fashioned style games like gunny sack races and water balloons and that kind of thing. So something a little bit different than what we’ve done in the past.”
There will be displays of old vehicles and tractors. The logger’s completion returns while Borderland Racing stages two nights of racing and Borderland Kart Racing takes to the infield.
Entertainment happens on the ground’s small stage and a crowning of a new fair queen takes place the night before. A mini king and queen will be selected on Saturday.
“One thing that’s a little bit different is the arena. We normally have what we call the farm progress building, but it’s going to be more of a vendor blender and farmers market this year.”
There will be no gate admission. Donations will be welcomed.
“Because there’s no midway, we’ve decided to open it up. It is going to be a bit smaller because of some of the attractions not being there. We are hopeful that people will give a donation because we do still need to pay our bills.”
Fair goers will need to bring a mask. They have to be worn when inside buildings like the area, exhibition hall and washrooms and when physically distancing isn’t possible.
The Society is also looking for volunteers. Contact Laura Haglin at 487-1888 or email R.R.V.A.S@hotmail.com.
More information about the fair and its schedule can be found on the Rainy River Valley Agricultural Society’s website.
