[ad_1]Milton Mc Mahon feeds animals at the Educational Animal Display pens at the Tillsonburg fair. CHRIS ABBOTT /jpg, BRTILLSONBURG Organizers of the Tillsonburg Tri-County Agricultural Society Fair were uncertain about how many people would attend in its 168th year. After a two-year break due to the pandemic, the fair, which took place from Aug. 19 to 21, set new attendance records. “It’s been an overwhelming weekend,” said Rosemary Dean, president of the Tillsonburg Tri-County Agricultural Society. She mentioned that Friday and Saturday night attendance “broke records.” Pleased with their mini-tractor pull on Friday night, Big Creek Tractor Pullers Association noted it was their ‘best audience in years.’ On Saturday night, members of Tillsonburg AGM played live music at the Kinsmen bandshell. “Great music and we appreciate them coming out,” said Dean.Karl (Paz) Pazdernik brought his unique brand of Canadian humour and entertainment to Tillsonburg on the weekend. The Hockey Circus Show was a popular addition to this year’s Tillsonburg Tri-County Fair. CHRIS ABBOTT /jpg, BRKarl (Paz) Pazdernik shared his special hockey humour at the fair, performing three times over Saturday and Sunday. “We loved the Hockey Circus Show - he’s got a great sense of humour and he knows how to interact with the crowd,” said Dean. “We had Titan Trailers here (Sunday) and he also did a show just for them.” The ice cream eating contest on Saturday afternoon featured four categories with ice cream donated by Shaw’s Ice Cream. “We had a little tykes/kids area and it got so busy. That was new this year; we wanted to target that age group and people said it was a great idea, so we’ll continue that.” Despite some rain on Sunday, Dean noted it didn’t affect attendance at the fair. “We were worried but we accommodated people and we had a great (demolition) derby. We said it would be ‘rain or shine’ and it was a very healthy derby crowd.” Edge Motorsports organized Sunday afternoon’s demolition derby in three categories: small-size cars and vans filled up the bleachers.Mikaela Ledoux and her grandfather, Dave Matthews, ride the Scrambler during a Sunday visit to the midway at the Tillsonburg Fair. CHRIS ABBOTT /jpg, WD“Our midways were busy - it was packed on Saturday,” said Dean. “This was the first year we sold out pre-sale ride wrist bands. That was a nice sign that something good was coming… we sold out 500 of them. We’ve never had that happen before.” A few rides weren’t operational for part of the fair; after minor repairs, Magical Midway couldn’t get Ontario’s Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) to inspect those rides in time for them to operate for the rest of the event. Safety inspectors represented by Ontario Public Service Employees Union have been on strike since July 21 after contract talks broke down with authority. This year's baby show featured a “royalty theme” with 19 entrants at Lions Auditorium on Saturday morning. A successful pet show for cats, dogs, and rabbits also took place at Kinsmen bandshell. “We appreciate everyone who came out to support us again,” Dean concluded. “If it wasn’t for them-and our donors and supporters-the Town of Tillsonburg-and our volunteers-we couldn’t have done this. So we thank everybody -and Mother Nature.” cabbottSource link
