By Haldimand Press Staff
CALEDONIA—The 150th Caledonia Fair was an astounding success for the Caledonia Agricultural Society, who hosted the event.
“I can’t say for sure (how many people attended), but the gates were steady and busy – often with line ups – all weekend long,” said Marketing Chair Jodie Easson. “We got everyone in as fast as we could and they kept coming! I think it’s safe to say this was one of our best years ever.”
Overall, Easson said the weekend went smoothly and received positive feedback, adding that there’s always going to be hiccups but they do their best to improve upon them for the following year.
The weather, she said, played a huge part in the fair’s success: “It was pretty much ideal for a fall fair.”
The most popular events were the demolition derby, with the largest crowd, and high school challenge with the second largest.
“There were great crowds at all of our entertainment,” Easson added. “Superdogs, two outdoor stages and the indoor stage, plus the barns, and Meet Your Local Farmer were busy, and the Exhibition Hall was much busier than last year when COVID restrictions were in place.”
Lastly, Easson showed gratitude for those who make the fair possible.
“Thanks to all of our Agricultural Society members for their work year-round, our volunteers, sponsors, and the community that continually supports us,” she said. “The fair is a gigantic team effort with a lot of moving parts, so it’s wonderful to see it all move together in a successful event.”
CALEDONIA—Two-year-old Jacob Ferguson enjoyed his first pony ride with dad John looking —Haldimand Press photo by Mike Renzella
Haldimand-Norfolk Dairy Educator Henrietta Heeg and Dairy producer Brianne Crites served freshly made ice cream to Taya and Nash Bullock at the Meet Your Local Farmer tent. —Haldimand Press photos by Rachel Vaarkamp.
CALEDONIA—Shown above are Saturday’s Meet Your Local Farmer participants, representing the following: Creekside Apiaries; Organic Farming; Haldimand Dairy Producers; Turkey Farmers of Ontario; Chicken Farmers of Ontario; Sheep Farming; O’Neils Farm Equipment – Tech/Farming; Bluewater Flower Farm; Egg Farmers of Ontario; Bains Road Cider; Mikels Lavender Oasis; Haldimand Federation of Agriculture; Husky Alpaca Ranch; and Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario.
Pictured (l-r) are Kiera Myke, Bryce Mathieson, Ryan Hill, and Cameron Czepak of Dunnville Secondary School showing off their school spirit.
CALEDONIA—This group shot shows the members of Superdogs and their loyal companions. The group wowed attendees with their intricate, impressive performances all weekend long.
CALEDONIA—The 150th Caledonia Fair also marked 30 years since Joachim Vallentin started leading the crowd to count in the heats at the demotion derby. Over the years, his blow-by-blow descriptions and background information has enthralled many visitors to the derby. Owner of Smash Motor Sports, Doug Leonard is another a 30 year veteran of the Caledonia derby. Doug was kind enough to take this photo of a delighted Joachim and his personal cheering section at the end of Friday night’s spectacular show. Some of Vallentin’s family and friends are shown in the photo. —Photo courtesy of Anne Vallentin.
CALEDONIA—To mark the 150th anniversary of the fair, past fair queens were invited back for a reunion. The first fair queen from 1986 was Wanda Zynomirski. She returned to the fair on Saturday and said, “I loved today! I am grateful and blessed that I was the first Caledonia fair queen. This experience taught me the importance of community. No matter where you live in the world, community matters so build your community. It lasts a lifetime!” Above left is a 1986 photo of Zynomirski presenting a ribbon. Above right, Zynomirski is shown with Sara Lynn Berry, 1988 fair queen. Zynomirski grew up in Canfield and now lives in London, and Berry grew up in York and now lives in Huntsville. Zynomirski said this reunion was done in part to bring attention to a new Fair Ambassor Program coming in 2023. —Submitted photos.
CALEDONIA—Students of Cayuga Secondary School showed their school spirit Friday night for the High School Challenge. Students from local high schools showed up for the challenge, which drew the fair’s second largest crowd.
