Markham Fair connects urban and rural communities
By David Yin, Local Journalism Initiative reporter
Markham Fair returns October 2 to 5, bringing together farm traditions, family fun, and community pride.
Located at 10801 McCowan Road, the fair will feature staples such as amusement rides, animal shows, live entertainment, horse pulls, demolition derbies, and vendors.
The fair will also host a variety of contests for people of all ages and backgrounds to enter. Most contests revolve around farm animals or the arts, but the fair will also host a baby contest, a children’s pet show, an ambassador contest, and a miniature butter sculpture contest.
The Markham and East York Agricultural Society hosts the fair every year. Its earliest recorded fair was in 1857.
According to general manager Bruce MacKenzie, Markham Fair may be one of the oldest fairs in Canada.
The fair’s original purpose was to allow different agricultural societies to meet up, share knowledge, and discuss agricultural issues. Later, the fair became an opportunity for farmers to show off their work before evolving into the spectacle it is today.
MacKenzie provided some insights on how the volunteers plan and adapt the Markham Fair for each version.
He said that volunteers take visitor feedback from the previous fair and implement it for the upcoming one. The volunteers take in visitors’ satisfaction levels, as well as positive and negative comments, into account.
“We have some constraints and we have to move within those constraints,” he said. “But most of that insight last year was, let’s make this feel like it’s never crowded as much as we can.”
He added that volunteers work with York Region’s fire and police services to ensure public safety. As well, volunteers have to set up and tear down the entire fair every year without built-in infrastructure or paid workers.
To stay updated about the upcoming Markham Fair or to sign up to volunteer, visit www.markhamfair.ca.
Photo: Amusement rides are a yearly staple at Markham Fair. (supplied photo)