Hants County Exhibition facts for kids
The Hants County Exhibition is a super fun fall fair held every year in Windsor, Nova Scotia. It's famous for being the oldest farm fair in North America that has run without stopping! It first started way back in 1765 near Fort Edward. The fair has been happening every year since 1815.
Since 1949, the fair has been held at the Hants Exhibition Arena and its fairgrounds. In September 2015, the Hants County Exhibition celebrated its 250th birthday! Five years later, in 2020, the fair went online because of world events.
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Who Runs the Fair? The Windsor Agricultural Society
The Hants County Exhibition Park is owned and managed by a group called the Windsor Agricultural Society. Their main goal is to keep hosting this amazing farm exhibition every year.
The society gets most of its money from the fair events. They also rent out their buildings and grounds when the fair isn't happening. Sometimes, they can get special money from government programs to help out. Over 70 volunteers and directors help run the society. They also have six employees who work during certain times of the year.
What Happens at the Exhibition?
The Hants County Exhibition takes place over two weekends in September. It's packed with all sorts of activities that celebrate farming and country life!
First Weekend Fun
During the first weekend, local 4-H clubs from Hants County come together. 4-H is a program where kids learn new skills and raise animals. They show off projects they've worked on all year. These projects include things like cake decorating, crafts, cooking, photography, and even welding!
The 4-H members also show off their animals. These can be dairy cows, beef cattle, sheep, goats, horses, mini horses, dogs, rabbits, chickens, and ducks. You can also watch exciting animal events like draft horse classes, ox pulls, and horse pulls. Plus, there's fast-paced barrel racing and pole bending with horses.
Second Weekend Excitement
The second weekend is also full of animal and farm events. One big event is the Classic Heritage Beef Show. This is the biggest beef cattle show in the Maritimes, with over 200 cattle!
You can also watch hunter and jumper horse classes in the main arena. There are western performance horse classes too. Throughout both weekends, you can see amazing displays of flowers, vegetables, crafts, and art. Many local sellers set up booths, and there's live music and shows to enjoy. A huge midway with amusement rides and carnival games is set up for kids of all ages to have a blast!
Year-Round Activities
Even when the fair isn't on, the exhibition grounds are busy! They host many other events in their buildings. The main Exhibition Arena has 2,500 seats. There are also four large barns and other display buildings.
You might see a giant pumpkin weigh-off, where huge pumpkins grown from Atlantic Giant seeds are measured. There's also a hockey rink that is home to the West Hants Warriors minor hockey team. It's used a lot by the community. After winter, the ice is removed, and sand is put down for horse events. The Avon Pony Club and other horse groups use it. There's a big horse barn and a smaller riding arena for lessons and events too.
