By Mike Renzella
The Haldimand Press
Fair and Ag Society may both close their doors for good if no one steps forward.
DUNNVILLE—The Dunnville Agricultural Society is extending an invitation to the community to attend their Annual General Meeting on November 17, 2022 with the hopes of meeting quorum and making an ultimate decision about the fate of the Dunnville Fair, including whether to dissolve the society altogether.
Ag Society President Wayne Ettinger explained, “The fair has not been very successful prior to the pandemic. The main reason, I believe, is we do not have an adequate fairground in Dunnville. We’ve used Lions Park for years and it’s just not adequate. There’s no place really to hold a fair. I think it’s time to give it up.”
He continued, “We cannot get very many people to get excited about a fair. There was lots of excitement and volunteers many years ago when we started it, but that isn’t the case today. The number of exhibitors is down from what it was in the prime, as well as the volunteers.”
Ettinger said that if there are people out there who really would like to get involved, it would be “nice for them to come and say so and take over the fair. Otherwise, I think it’s time to dissolve the society.”
He said that fairs all over Ontario are dealing with similar issues related to a lack of volunteering and difficulty attracting new people: “There are a few very successful fairs like Ancaster, Simcoe, and Rockton, and then there are others who are just scraping by.”
Ettinger said anyone considering taking over would need good leadership and networking skills, “but even new people won’t be able to do much without a proper fairground. When I started the Ag Society 25 years ago, I thought the town or county would provide a fairground, but they never did.”
He reflected on the fair’s history, noting, “We’ve had very good sheep and goat shows over the years. I would travel around to other major fairs, and their sheep and goat shows were not as popular as ours.”
Ettinger hopes that enough people come to the meeting to help make a clear decision one way or the other.
“The society has some money. For the past year, there are various expenses including insurance, rent for the office, and it’s eating away at our money. I would like to see a decision made and stop all the expenses, and I would like to see the leftover money donated to the Dunnville Hospital and Healthcare Foundation.”
The potentially final annual general meeting will take place on Thursday, November 17 at 7:30 p.m. at Knox Presbyerian Church in Dunnville.
