The Rockton World’s Fair is hosted yearly by the Rockton Agriculutral Society, and is a great example of a classic county fair. Always falling on the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, it’s harvest themed and full of rides, pumpkins and a huge range of agricultural displays. Corn stalks, pickled beans, the prettiest pigeons and wooliest sheep.
About an hour’s drive southwest of Toronto, the Rockton Fair has been a tradition since 1935. This was my first time visiting, and as a city mouse I was loved checking out the prizewinning goods. Each participant presents their most impressive samples of goods..everything from handmade quilts to fresh vegetables that had been tracked and cataloged from seed planting to day of harvest. So interesting!
I walked through barns filled with rows and rows of the most wildly feathered chickens I’ve ever seen, and saw huge Clydesdale horses enjoying soapy hose showers. I loved how the award winners proudly displayed their ribbons- like Best Feather Leg Bantam, Champion Wood Carving, and even Ugliest Carrot! It’s quite nice that over 50,000 visitors, many from nearby cities, were able to explore and enjoy a hands on connection with food production while learning about farming -something so many people live so far removed from these days.
Of course there are the requisite midway rides and games, and thankfully the barn odors are kinda covered up by the smell of cotter candy and French fries. The midway started to look even prettier after the sunset and the coloured lights got brighter against the pink sky. And is any trip to the fair complete without a ride on the Ferris wheel?
