Though the weather was at times was less than fair, the Salmon Arm Fair's first August run proved to be a success.
"We definitely had fall weather – we had a bit of everything…," laughed fair manager Jim McEwan. "Just goes to show you can never predict the weather."
The worst of it was Friday evening's short-lived thunderstorm, which required a temporary pause on use of the taller rides in the Midway and the stages for entertainment. For safety reasons, Saturday's off-and-on rain kept the Global FMX freestyle motorcross team grounded for the day.
However, despite the bouts of wet weather, people remained determined to enjoy the annual event, put on by the Salmon Arm Fair and Shuswap Lake Agricultural Association.
"On Saturday, even with the spotty rain, we still had really good crowds," said McEwan. "We weren’t far off from our record crowds."
The concerts held Friday and Saturday nights were also very popular, with it being suggested that a larger dance floor may be needed.
"We had a lot of families, even during our evening shows," said McEwan. "I noticed kids and people of all ages on the dance floor Saturday night."
McEwan also noted the fair's transition away from a fenced beer garden on the north fairgrounds was also well received.
"It was a relaxed environment – I was really pleased…," he said. "This way you can have a beer, sit down have a meal, listen to the music, get up and dance… that’s how I saw it happening. We had a really nice crowd."
McEwan said the exhibits were well attended, the Global FMX team, when the weather was suitable, drew a big crowd, as did the daring canines of Superdogs. Another hit new to this year's fair was the Celebrity Barnyard, where people had a chance to meet a number of famous critters including Wilbur the pig, who made an appearance on The Good Doctor, and a pair of llamas who last December starred in an Amazon commercial.
Regarding exhibitors, the Fair's date change to the Aug. 23-25 weekend resulted in more vegetable entries, minus what McEwan referred to as "truly fall" produce including pumpkins and other squashes.
Another change, reversing the direction of the Salmon Arm Fair Parade, also worked as intended, reducing gaps in the parade resulting from the waits at the highway crossings. However, McEwan noted a concern with drivers ignoring barriers, and in some cases volunteers, along the closed parade route.
"For some reason people think the parade is something of an inconvenience," said McEwan, noting one incident where a driver almost hit a young girl in a wheelchair. The issue will be reviewed by fair organizers and McEwan warned that in the future, should such safety issues persist, "we will shut down the parade."
Overall, this year's Salmon Arm Fair saw more wins than not, and with better weather McEwan has no doubt the fair would have had record attendance.
With the 125th Salmon Arm Fair done, McEwan said work now begins on organizing next year's event, which will once again be held in late August.
