This year’s 97th annual fair was a resounding success, Westlock Ag Society president Bob Jones says, and it has a lot to do with some help from the weatherman.
“It went very well, as far as I’m concerned,” he said. “We had three beautiful days and great crowds.”
The fair, hosted by the Westlock & District Agricultural Society, took place Aug. 19-21, featured a well-attended parade, a big rodeo event, a midway, and a host of other agriculture-related displays and events.
“It was a big success, and a lot of that had to do with volunteers,” he added. About 100 volunteers give up their time to make the festival possible.
He did not have the exact attendance figures, but said he thought it was much higher than last year’s fair, which was plagued with a day and a half of rain, forcing some events to be cancelled. This year, everything went off without a hitch.
The fair is going through a few growing pains this year, with the layout affected by the ongoing Spirit Centre construction. The bench show and hall exhibits all took place in the ag barn this year instead of in Jubilee Arena as in past years.
“This was the first year we had it in the ag barn, so we didn’t know how it would turn out, but it went extremely well,” he said.
Many of the vendors were especially pleased with the moved, because the space is more accessible by vehicles.
Over the next couple years, the rest of the fair will follow, moving to the ag grounds on the west side of the Old Pickardville Road.
The biggest challenge in this transition will be moving the track over, which is expected to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Jones said the ag society is working closely with the town and county to get a cost estimate, and hopefully secure some grants to get the work done.
“When that happens, I think our fair will be easier to put on because we won’t have that road people have to cross, and there will be a lot less walking involved,” Jones said.
He conceded there was one problem with keeping the washroom facilities maintained, but emphasized it was a small problem that would be rectified next year.
“They should have been serviced more often than they were,” he said. “That’s the only complaint I heard, which I guess isn’t bad for three solid days of fun.”
