Written by Annie Warner Donnelly
Greetings Everyone. I continue to think about the beautiful October day when the Elmvale Fair brought together people of all ages to watch the parade pass by. And oh, what a beautiful, lively parade it was!
According to an article that Jessie Thompson wrote for the Lance, October 5, 1983, the first fair held in the village of Elmvale was in 1881. (Thanks to the Springwater Library for this information.) Using twenty-eight years to represent a generation means that approximately 5 generations have attended the Elmvale Fall Fair. This year’s theme, “Then and Now” was creatively expressed by the parade’s participants.
On the Lady of Lourdes Elementary School float, Anita (Collins) Roussy represented “Then”. In 1961, she walked beside her seven-year-old brother, Kraig Collins. “Kraig and I were excited to walk in the parade,” said Anita, “and he was thrilled to learn that his grey chinchilla rabbit won a ribbon!”
In 1961, the one room school Kraig and Anita attended – S.S. No.6 Flos, located near Phelpston – was heated by a woodstove that the teacher’s husband maintained to keep everyone warm. However, the two outhouses, one for the boys and one for the girls, didn’t have the luxury of heat!
On the float, three of Anita’s granddaughters represented “Now”: Hailey Paige May, aged 8; Jayde Martha May, aged six (the same age her grandma was in 1961); and Kaitlyn Nicole May, aged four.
Anita’s fourth granddaughter, Lauryn Bryna May, watched the parade with her parents Brad and Bryna (Anita’s daughter). This little two-year-old entertained the parade participants with her dance moves to the music, her happy smile and her little hands waving to all who passed by.
Speaking on behalf of her family, Anita said, “What a wonderful experience this has been for all of us! Everything has been so well organized. The children were able to pet some sheep. They put food out for some cows and were able to pet one too. Their face paintings were works of art. They enjoyed seeing things that were grown and things that were hand-made. We were impressed by the community’s involvement. This fair is already on my 2025 calendar whether we’re on a float or not!”
Perhaps you missed the Elmvale Fair but attended one of the other 211 fairs here in Ontario according to “ontarioagsocieties.com”. I wondered which fair is the oldest. Wikipedia says that the “Williamstown Fair is Ontario’s oldest continually operated agricultural fair. It received its patent on March 29, 1808, from Francis Gore, Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada. It is probable that at first, the local farmers simply gathered on the village common or streets.”
How blessed we are to experience multi-generational community events like Fall Fairs. When you see a farmer, be sure to say thanks for all their family does to make life better for all of us in so many ways! Amen.
