The opening ceremonies of the 2024 Avonmore Fair were held in the Super Structure at the fairgrounds in the early afternoon of July 20. Several dignitaries commented on the dedication of volunteers who work tireless throughout the year to make sure the event is very successful. “We are very thankful to everyone who contributed to the success of this year’s fair. It takes MANY volunteers to achieve such a wonderful weekend, and we are very proud to be a part of the community.” commented RAS President David Wattie a post fair message, before continuing “The RAS Board is extremely thankful to all our volunteers. We can’t believe how wonderful everyone is, how helpful, and how dedicated. We are very proud of our new volunteers and our “expert volunteers” who are vital in helping us encourage the next generation to continue our long-lasting traditions to bring our community together. We are always looking for new volunteers; for small roles and big ones. Even offering a small amount of time with a smile can help to make a huge impact in our events, and thus making our community stronger.” From the left, front row: Rachael Simpson, Haleigh-Jo tePlate. Back row: OAAS District 1 Provincial Director Amy Leroy, SDSG MP Eric Duncan, SDSG MPP Nolan Quinn, RAS President David Wattie, SDG Warden Jamie MacDonald, North Stormont Mayor François Landry and RAS Vice President Charity Franklin Stucki. Thompson Goddard Photo

AVONMORE – You can’t predict the weather a year in advance with any degree of accuracy, but the Roxborough Agricultural Society hit the jackpot with a beautiful weekend for the 164 version of the Avonmore Fair.

The fair didn’t officially open till Sat., July 20, but there was a barn dance on Friday evening featured The Whiskey Brooks opening for The County Lads. It probably meant that more than a couple people were a little tired at 8:00 a.m. Saturday morning when the first day’s events began with breakfast in the North Stormont Place dining hall.

There was a full slate of events on both days, with cattle, horse, dog, and car shows, as well as a petting zoo, pony rides, bouncy rides, a rock climbing tower, and much more. A very much appreciated bonus for parents was the number of free activities for the kids, something that allowed many to stay longer and enjoy the activities even more.

One very interesting, fun event was a sort of relay race on horseback. The riders, caring a sword of sorts had to collect a ring from a stand then continue to the end of the lane and hand it off so their teammate could come back and do the same. The emphasis was more on fun than competition but even with a wide age range, there were a lot of smiles to be seen.

In the cattle ring, there was a lot of friendly competition in all categories. In the Grand Champion beef senior yearling conformation class, Nicole Fisher was awarded the Championship, Kenny Mallette, the reserve champion, and Honourable Mention went to Haley Taillon.

If you felt the need to get out of the sun for a bit, there was always the exhibition Hall, with its variety of exhibits or the North Stormont Place dining hall which seemed to have food and beverages available for most of the day.

As a bit of a prelude to the Glengarry Highland Games, which are just around the corner, the MacCulloch Dancers and the MacLeod Fiddlers performed on the Main Stage in the superstructure on Saturday, but you could find all kinds of entertainment there throughout the weekend.

There was, of course food, lots of food, and cold drinks. Safe to say that few went home hungry, but most went home tired, but when you plan a fair that has been around as long as the Avonmore Fair, it is an indication of a job well done.