Oops, I did it again – I saw another presentation of the Canadian RCMP Musical Ride. This time at the Paris, Ontario Fall Fair on September 1 to 5, 2016.
The show was included with the price of admission to the fair, so no warm-up act was necessary. It was outside, in a bigger area, with bleacher seating elevating the view as beautiful Hanoverian horse hooves kicked up the dry reddish ground.
Being there reminded me two things:
- I really love watching the RCMP Musical Ride even though it’s the same show each time.
- I really enjoy rural fall fairs even though they are essentially the same experience each time.
Fall Fairs intended to celebrate the bounty of harvest (even though the food consumed is deep-fried from a truck rather than fresh from the ground), and there are many across the continent.
Most follow the same format: a midway of crazy often over-priced rides, much guilty pleasure unhealthy fried food, barns of competitions for the best cookies, quilting, knitting, wheat … you name it along with competitions for the biggest vegetables grown – one tone or more pumpkins being the most popular.
Farmers parade livestock in rings during judging competitions; vendors sell us trinkets we wouldn’t normally buy, and entertainment ranges from dog shows, pet competitions, reptiles in cages, and acrobats dangling from ribbons.
And sometimes there are horses.
If you’ve been to one, you’ve been to most but don’t stop at one. It’s just too folksy not to indulge in deep-fried weirdness at least twice or more this fall.
Here’s the list of Rural Fall Fairs if you’re in the Southern Ontario area. Some have horse shows. Agricultural fall fairs with horse are of course the best.
I couldn’t possibly list them all, so I’ve focused only on those around me in Southern Ontario. (Watch for upcoming horsetrotting.net cover of the Fergus Fall Fair, specifically the Canadian Cowgirls Rodeo Drill).
Southern Ontario, Canada Fall Fairs
(Note: the RCMP Musical Ride will be in Ancaster. So will I).
September 9-18 (two weekends)
Wester Fair, London Fair Grounds
900 King Street, London, Ontario
Horse Shows: Western Horse Show; Western Reining; Clydesdale Hitch and Pull
September 16-18, 2016
Beverton Fall Fair
176 Main Street West, Beverton, Ontario
Horse Shows: Western barrel racing, and Western games
Bracebridge Fall Fair and Horse Show
The Canadian Cowgirls
JD Lang Complex, 331 Frasenburg Rd, Bracebridge, Ontario
Horse shows: horse fun and games, heavy horse and draft pulls, equestrian jumping
Fergus Fall Fair, Centre Wellington Community Sportsplex
550 Belyde Ave E., Fergus, Ontario
Horse Shows: Canadian Cowgirls Drill Team, Welsh Pony and Dog Challenge, Heavy Horse Show
September 22-25, 2016
Canadian RCMP Musical Ride
Ancaster Fall Fair, Fair Grounds
630 Trinity Road, Ancaster
Horse Shows: RCMP Musical Ride September 24 and 25.
September 23- 25, 2016
Roseneath Fair, Fair Grounds
9109 County Road 45, Roseneath, Ontario
Little Ray’s Reptile Zoo
Horse shows: no
September 29 to October 2, 2016
Caledonia Fair, Fairgrounds
151 Caithness Street E, Caledonia, Ontario
Horse Show: no
October 4 – 10, 2016
Norfolk County Fair and Horse Show
Poultry at Paris Fair
172 South Drive, Simcoe, Ontario
Horse Show: Equestrian Jumping
October 7, 8, 9, and 10, 2016
Erin Fall Fair, Fair Grounds
190 Main Street, Erin Ontario
Horse Shows: Equestrian Jumping
Equestrian Jumping at Rockton
Rockton World’s Fair, Fair Grounds
812 Old Highway 8, Rockton, Ontario
Horse Shows: Western Performance, Western Show Games, Junior Gymkhana, Children’s Pony/hunter, Equestrian Hunter/Jumper Jumping, miniature horse judging, Heavy Horse hitch and line competitions, Light Horse and Sport Pony cart judging.
Global Travel for Horse Lovers 
[…] The Norfolk County Fair & Horse Show, run by the Norfolk County Agricultural Society since 1840 (when it was the Talbot District Agricultural Society), is one of many fall country fairs in the Southern Ontario region. […]
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