The Hants County Exhibition is an annual fall fair held in

Windsor, Nova Scotia Windsor is a community located in Hants County, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is a service centre for the western part of the county and is situated on Highway 101. The community has a history dating back to its use by the Mi'kmaq Nation for sev ...

. It is known for being the oldest continuously run agricultural fair in North America. It was first held on the grounds of Fort Edward beginning in 1765 and has been running continuously since 1815.The fair has been held at the nearby

Hants Exhibition Arena The Hants Exhibition Arena is owned by the Windsor Agricultural Society and is located at 239 Wentworth Street in Windsor, Nova Scotia. The arena is home to the Hants County Exhibition (the oldest agricultural fair in North America), along with ...

and exhibition grounds since the land was purchased in 1949. September 2015 marked the 250th anniversary of the Hants County Exhibition. Five years later, the fair went virtual because of the

COVID-19 pandemic in Canada The COVID-19 pandemic in Canada is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (). It is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). Most cases over the course of the pandemic have been in Ontario, Que ...

The Windsor Agricultural Society

Hants County Exhibition Park is owned and operated by the Windsor Agricultural Society. The main goal of the society is to continue to host the agricultural exhibition annually. The main income of the society is through revenue made during the exhibition events, as well as renting the facilities during other times of the year. When available, the Society applies for federal and provincial grant programs. The Society consists of over 70 volunteer committee members and directors with six seasonal employees.

The exhibition

The Hants County Exhibition is held annually over two weekends in September. The fair hosts a wide range of activities to highlight agriculture. During the first weekend, loca
4-H clubs
of Hants County come together to showcase their projects they have worked on throughout the year and show off their animals they have raised and trained. These projects include Lifeskills such as cake decorating, crafts, foods, scrapbooking, photography, welding, small engines, great outdoorsmen and more. 4-H Livestock that are shown at the exhibition include dairy, beef, sheep, goat, light horse, mini horse, dog obedience, rabbit, poultry and waterfowl. Also during the first weekend, other livestock events are happening including draft horse classes, ox pulls, horse pulls
Maritime Barrel Racing
and pole bending. The second weekend of the exhibition is also full of livestock and agriculture events. This includes th
Classic Heritage Beef Show
which is the largest beef cattle show in the Maritimes drawing in over 200 head of beef cattle. Also during the second weekend, there are hunter and jumper classes held in the main arena, as well as western performance horse classes. During both weekends, there are numerous horticulture, vegetable, craft and art exhibits displayed. There are many local vendors set up and live music and events to watched and enjoyed. A large midway set up on the grounds for kids to enjoy over both weekends including amusement rides and carnival rides. For the remainder of the year, the exhibition grounds hosts many other events in their various buildings on the property including the main Exhibition Arena with 2,500 seats, 4 large barns, and other exhibit building. There is a pumpkin weigh-off featuring pumpkins grown with

Atlantic Giant A giant pumpkin is an orange fruit of the squash ''Cucurbita maxima'', commonly weighing from to over .Karl, J. R. 2014. ''Cleaning the Giant Pumpkin'' History Growing giant pumpkins emerged out of the North American agricultural tradition ...

seeds. A hockey rink is on site home to th
West Hants Warriors
minor hockey. and is well used by the community. After the winter months, the ice is removed from the rink and replaced with sand to accommodate for equine events fo
Avon Pony Club
ref> and other equestrian society events. There is a large horse barn on site and a smaller riding arena for lessons and events.

References

External links

Official website
{{Coord, 44, 59, 28, N, 64, 6, 54, W, region:CA-NS_type:event, display=title Exhibitions in Canada Agricultural fairs in Canada Tourist attractions in Hants County, Nova Scotia Fall events in Canada Events of National Historic Significance (Canada)