History

1856-2006: 150 years of Rural Roots

The County of Russell Agricultural Society was formed in 1856 for the purpose of presenting an Agricultural Fair in September. The fairs were to rotate annually in the Townships of Gloucester, Osgoode, Russell, and Cumberland. The beginning was nearly the end. The first fair, held in Cumberland in 1856, was poorly attended and not much of a success. In those days, there were no trucks and trailers to transport livestock, so the animals had to be walked, often many miles, to the fair and then home again.

The first fair in Osgoode Township was held in 1860 at in an empty field just outside Rossiters, a village that we know today as Greely. The Township had erected some temporary buildings to house many exhibits, but unfortunately the roofs were no match for the heavy downpours of rain that fell all weekend. Many of the exhibits, particularly those of the ladies, were severely damaged or destroyed, and one can only imagine the mud that fairgoers must have had to contend with that year. Despite the setbacks, this fair was considered a qualified success.

The following year, the people of Metcalfe decided to organize their own fair. Part of the 1861 fair was held in an open field just outside the village, possibly on part of Stanley Farm, and the rest was held on the Main Street of the village. The fair was considered a big success. It remained a free, educational event until 1870. The fairs were generally two day events, Friday and Saturday. There was a motion in 1949 to have a three day fair begin on Thursday, but it wasn’t until 1972 that the fair was extended to include Sunday and became a four day event.

The Agricultural Society began in 1874 to acquire the parcels of land that make up today’s fairgrounds. This process has been ongoing with the most recent land purchase occuring in March of 2006. The original Agricultural Hall was built in 1875 and destroyed in an 1890 fire. The present Agricultural hall replaced it in 1891. Metcalfe had a credible baseball team at that time and for many years thereafter, and the ball diamond was located on the present fairgrounds. The grandstand, built in 1891 and still standing today, was used by spectators to watch the ball games.

The year the Titanic sank, 1912, the name of the Agricultural Society was changed to the Metcalfe Agricultural Society. It is believed that the official documentation of this name change was lost in a fire shortly after World War 1. In 1945, a motion was passed by the board of directors to authorize Cumberland to separate and form its own Agricultural Society.

In the 1920’s, horse racing was all the rage, and a track was built on the fairgrounds that passed in front of the grandstand. Horse racing remained a major attraction at the fair until they were discontinued in 1959.

The roots of the Ladies Division’ official association with the fair can be traced back to 1912, however, it was not until 1928 that the first four lady directors were appointed. In January, 1995, Betty Eastman was elected President of Metcalfe Agricultural Society, the first female ever to hold the office. Lynda McCuaig was elected President of the Society in 2001, and became the second lady to serve in that office.

While the agricultural side of today’s fair is mainly horses, cattle and sheep, many other varieties of livestock have been exhibited over the years, including poultry and swine. Poultry was dropped around 1946, but swine continued on for many years. A 1961 newspaper clipping tells us that after officially opening the 105th fair, Prime Minister John Diefenbaker toured the cattle, swine and horse classes while his wife, Olive, was whisked away to look at the many fine women’s exhibits. Prime Minister Diefenbaker was not the only celebrity from Ottawa to officially open a Metcalfe Fair. The Centennial fair in 1956 was opened by Ottawa’s most colourful and best known mayor, Charlotte Whitton.

Through the second half of the twentieth century and into the twenty-first century, our fair has continued to evolve and grow. Light and heavy horse shows, dairy, beef, and sheep shows grew in prominence. 4-H participation became a major feature in Metcalfe, both on the local and regional levels. Innovative entertainment events were tried, including a demolition derby, snowmobile racing (known as Grass Drags) and more recently, lawn tractor racing. Metcalfe Fair opened its official web site, metcalfefair.com, in June of 2002, and has received hits from all over the world. Since the creation of the web site, The fair has seen an increase in out of town and out of country visitors.

As we approach our 150th anniversary and pause to take a look back at our rural roots, we can’t help but feel great pride in how far we have come since that rainy weekend in Rossiters so many, many years ago. With the spirit of the pioneers of all those fairs to guide us, we look to the future, and say, “Bicentennial, Here We Come!”