The curling rink floor was a buzz of voices and human interaction Sept. 29 and 30, as a steady flow of visitors arrived to check out the Unity Agricultural Society’s trade show and fall fair. Many visitors also paused to visit with friends and neighbours they hadn’t seen recently.
Pat Welter, ag society president, said numbers were up this year from last – both in terms of vendors and of visitors. He also noted, while usually things slow down on the Saturday afternoon towards the closing time of 4 p.m., this year, the steady flow of shoppers continued right until the end.
Welter said there has been an “overwhelmingly” positive response to having the fall fair entries on the same floor as the trade show, so they would like to continue that.
This year there were 42 vendor booths, compared to 38 last year. Prior to the pandemic, there were 60. While there is still some space for additional vendors, Welter said they may ultimately have to look at a cap on the number in order to keep the fall fair on the same level.
Welter makes a point of circulating around the trade show over the course of the weekend, checking in with vendors as to how they are doing or if there is anything they need. In a post-event interview, he said they were all happy and, when you have vendors from places like Edmonton and Saskatoon and they say they’re coming back next year, “that kind of tells you something.”
One Saskatoon vendor told him, “We don’t get this kind of atmosphere and friendliness in the city.” She says not only is she returning but she plans to bring five other Saskatoon vendors with her. Welter credits the community of Unity for that “atmosphere and friendliness.”
He also commended Ken Parker and the high school students Parker brought over, saying the tear-down happened amazingly quickly. Again, Welter highlighted the community of Unity in raising “kids with such a great work ethic.”
If there is one thing Welter feels the trade show is lacking, it is “male-oriented booths.” He would like to work on that, noting years ago they would have vendors such as Snap-on Tools.
Welter summed up the event by saying, “We put on a really, really good show,” and said credit has to go to past president Elaine Sperle and long-time vendor co-ordinator Irene Lacoursiere for the base they have laid and the precedent they have set.
On the fall fair side, the busy Joan Sperle once again organized entries – all 527 of them – in a myriad of categories. Approximately 100 people took the time to prepare entries and submit them for judging and exhibition.
Kate Ballantyne entered a number of categories and took home the grand aggregate prize in four of them: needlework and handicraft, hobbies, plants and flowers, and fruits and vegetables.
Other grand aggregate winners were Elaine Sperle, amateur photography; Linda Grant, home baking; and Doreen Leslie, home preserves.
The under-18 winners were Simon Ajayi in the seven and under category, Anna Grace Deck for ages eight to 12, and Lyla Reiche for 13- to 18-year-olds.
Fanterra Belak-Fisher won the People’s Choice award for photography, with her photo of a painted lady butterfly visiting one of the flowers in her pollinators’ garden.
The door prizes for attendees were won by Paige Gagnon, the Traeger smoker, and Cally Kowalchuk of Wilkie, the $200 co-op gift card.
Pearl Thomas won the largest vendor prize – a firepit from Delta Co-op. The co-op home centre prize went to Myra Weinkauf. Shane Belak won the grocery basket prize.
Other vendor prizes were won by Chelsea Fawell (Parkview Place) and Karla Krantz (Alleycat Tattoos).
Sharon Smith had the closest guess on the weight of the Unity Agricultural Society pumpkin. The pumpkin weighed 6.96 pounds and her guess was 6.9.
With over 1100 people coming through the doors, it is evident the fall fair and trade show are appreciated by the people of Unity and area as much as by the happy vendors. However, like many volunteer-run organizations, the Unity Agricultural Society needs more members.
Welter said not only is Lacoursiere going to retired as vendor co-ordinator; kitchen co-ordinator, the awesome and hard-working Bea Stephenson – who has done such a great job in the kitchen – will also need to be replaced soon.
Welter said the ag society is a great organization to be involved with if you are looking for some involvement but not a lot. They only hold two meetings a year and host two major events – the trade show and fall fair and Agricultural Safety Day in the spring. Membership dues are only $2. You can contact any of the members mentioned in this article for more information.
