The Shawville Fair hits 160 years old this Labour Day weekend. There are a plenty of snapshots and moments for an event, which is older than the country of Canada.
The story of the Shawville Fair begins with William Clark who founded the Pontiac Agricultural Society. Clark borrowed $200 to finance the first fair and it opened in 1856.
In those early decades in the 19th century, the fair was organized as only a place for people to come from miles to exhibit their livestock and produce. Everything was held in what was known as Clarendon Centre as Shawville didn’t become a municipality until 1873.
Eventually, James Shaw donated some land and the event moved to its present location. There were no midway or games and the biggest amusement was dirt track racing. The stakes were fifty cents and the horses went down a straight stretch of half a mile.
Ownership of the land paved the way for the Agricultural Society to begin erecting permanent buildings around the 1880s. The octagonal exhibition hall was built in 1898 for a cost of less than $5,000. Through the years the building held various exhibits of horticulture, crops, handicrafts and baking. The hall stood proudly for 91 years before succumbing to a fire in January 1989.
In 1885, the only midway at the Shawville Fair was a Merry-Go-Round at just five cents a ride. It turned by a steam engine using pine roots for fuel. It wasn’t until 1921that arrangements were made for a permanent midway.
In 1931, an ‘In and Out’ ticket sold for 25 cents a day. The ticket was for an automobile or carriage ride that allowed people to come and go from the fairgrounds as many times as they wanted.
In 1939, a highlight was a softball game between Shawville High School and Bryson High School, which Shawville won.
A Wild West Show came to town in 1968. The show included everything from roping, trick cows and horses and even clowning.
A daylong admission to the 1974 Shawville Fair was $1.50. The entertainment was a teen dance, and for an extra $3, the adult dance featured the band, ‘The Country Gentleman.’ The current Shawville Lions Club building located at the main entrance was built at this time for a cost $2,000.
The 160th edition of the Shawville is set to run from September 1 to 5.
By: Scott Campbell – July 2016