Napanee Fair makes triumphant return

Adam Prudhomme
Editor

Napanee’s Fairgrounds were buzzing with activity all weekend long as the fair made its highly anticipated return, marking the 189th edition of the longstanding Civic Holiday weekend tradition.

Large crowds filtered in and out Friday evening through Monday afternoon to experience all the attractions that were missed over the last two years due to the pandemic. From midway rides to tractor pulls to Western games to live music to the demolition derby, all the favourites were back.

Greater Napanee Mayor Marg Isbester, who wore two hats this weekend-mayor and volunteer at the Napanee Legion food canteen, had a unique view of the fair from the canteen.

“The sentiment was so nice to have it back,” Isbester said of the many fair attendees she spoke with over the four-day event. “The odd person said I wonder if we do this every two years if it would be better, and of course that doesn’t work with fairs. Everybody was optimistic. All the booths, the midway, everybody just seemed to be in a much better mood. There was the odd two or four year old tantrums, but they’re tired and it’s hot and it’s dusty but everybody seemed to be busy and everybody seemed to be happy. Displays were back, livestock was back. The lawnmower and the derby, they just draw in huge crowds, but they shifted things around which just gave everyday something to come back for. Friday night was just the truck pull. The next night was the tractor pull and some Western music. On Friday night as well they had the talent show that Lisa Hart runs. Anything that had any subscribership, I’m sure it was at least double of what it normally would be. It’s good to see. With the pandemic over and maybe a bit of a recession looming, it was something good for people to take part in.”

Exact attendance numbers were still being counted but anecdotally the sentiment was it was one of the best-attended fairs in quite some time.

“I guess you could tell by the parking,” said Isbester. “There wasn’t a side street, certainly to the east, every single side street for six or seven blocks was jammed. Parking in the fairgrounds itself was jammed. People were just everywhere.”

Isbester credited the hard work put in by volunteers and participants to make the event a triumph.

“I’m glad to see such success, even the displays, the jams and jellies, the flowers and the photography and the artwork, the kids stuff, a lot of people put a lot of effort into that and it’s just good to see,” said Isbester. “Plus I really thought that roller skating kicking in and being a two hour stint there and a two hour stint there, it also got people inside and maybe out of the sun and the young people out. Every time I looked in there it was busy. That was a good introduction to that for people to that thing that’s been going on here for awhile.”

Disco Ball Events hosted free roller skating sessions inside the old arena throughout the weekend, a first for the fair.

Noticeably absent from the fair was Elsie Dowdle’s familiar voice booming across the fairgrounds as announcer for Monday’s demolition derby as she was unable to perform her familiar role due to health. There was a sea of purple in the grandstands and mixed into the paint jobs of several of the derby cars in her honour.

“You can tell the support that she has by Pedro (Crowder) and his team that stepped forward to not only take over and organize it, but to make sure that there was tribute to Elsie for all that she has done,” said Isbester.

Cleanup of the fair was barely completed before the U20 Men’s Fast Pitch Championships got underway Tuesday morning at the fairground diamonds.