The Schomberg Fair is an annual agricultural fair held in late May in Schomberg, a community in the township of

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. It starts on the Thursday following

Victoria Day Victoria Day (french: Fête de la Reine, lit=Celebration of the Queen) is a federal Canadian public holiday celebrated on the last Monday preceding May 25. Initially in honour of Queen Victoria's birthday, it has since been celebrated as the offi ...

, and runs through to Sunday. It is staged at the Schomberg Agricultural Fairgrounds, also known as the Schomberg Fairgrounds, which is adjacent to the

Holland River The Holland River is a river in Ontario, Canada, that drains the Holland River watershed into Cook's Bay, the southern extremity of Lake Simcoe. The river flows generally north, and its headwaters lie in the Oak Ridges Moraine. The Holland Riv ...

. In 1852, the Township of King established the annual King Township Fall Fair, which was held in one of the communities of

Aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

, Kettleby, King City, Laskay, Nobleton, or Schomberg. In 1872, a permanent location was selected, and the fair renamed ''The Schomberg Agricultural Fair'', and the Schomberg Agricultural Society was organized to operate it. Agricultural land was purchased adjacent to the community to be the site of the fair. The fair has expanded beyond simply an agricultural showcase, and now includes numerous activities. No fair was held between 1917–18 nor 1942–45. The 2020 fair was cancelled as a result of the

COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario The COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario is an ongoing viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in ...

. From 2012-2020, the fair board tried to attract a dwindling host of volunteers and saw most of its representatives come from outside the local community. Currently, there are no active board members who live within the King Township municipality or who are active farmers in the host municipality. The former arena on the north end of the fairgrounds houses the Parks, Recreation and Culture department of the municipal government of King.

Events

On Thursday, attendees can pay one price to ride the midway rides as many times as they wish. On holidays, they may also pay a special price which will allow up to four people to enjoy the rides. Friday is the official start day of the fair. In the evening there is an opening ceremony followed by the demolition derby, the fair's most popular event. On Saturday morning a parade is held on the main street of Schomberg. The procession consists of local organizations and bands followed by the winning car from the previous night’s derby. After the parade the doors to the Schomberg arena are opened. For the duration of the fair the arena will house art and craft as well as agricultural displays. Sunday is family fun day at the Schomberg fair. This includes a variety of family oriented events such as the baby show and the relative look alike contest.

Notes

References

External links

Schomberg Fair official website
{{King, Ontario Annual fairs King, Ontario Fairs in Ontario 1852 establishments in Canada Festivals established in 1852