a peek inside the fishbowl

28 Sep, 2010

Falling for fairs

Posted by andrea tomkins in: - Ottawa for kids

Hey Ottawa. Want some chocolate?

If there is one thing that signals the end of summer, it’s the fall fair. I love the food, the smell, the sounds, the giant photo op. I love the agricultural traditions, right down to the tractor displays and the blue-ribbon winner of the weirdest looking potato. I love watching my girls on the rides. I love to people-watch too, but at the same time I really don’t like the crowds. When I become a cranky old woman, that will be the thing that keeps me away.

Does everyone have an agricultural fair where they are? It’s a fun way to go back in time.

This year we did the Carp Fair on Friday night. It’s neat to see it lit up. We went right after work, and stayed for dinner and the rides. It was quite the sight.

Thinking about the prize, Carp Fair 2010

Candy Land, Carp Fair 2010

Bumper cars, Carp Fair 2010

Merry-go-round, Carp Fair 2010

 Merry-go-round, Carp Fair 2010

Fun!Slide! Carp Fair 2010

Ferris Wheel, Carp Fair 2010

Someday I’d like to set up a photo booth and devote a day to taking photos of fair goers and carnies. This is prime people watching.

Sadly, by making our visit an evening one meant we missed all of the displays, the shows and the animals … the very thing that makes a Fall fair a Fall fair for me. Next year, we’ll rise and shine and get there on Saturday morning. I think it’s the best time to go. (Here’s a recap of our visit last year, complete with photos and audio.)

Did you miss the fall fair this year? Do you have an unfulfilled yearning for corn dogs and beignets? It’s not too late. The Metcalfe Fair (mute the your volume before clicking that link!) is still to come

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4 Responses to "Falling for fairs"

1 | Mr.G

September 28th, 2010 at 9:04 am

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Nice pics!

Although living a few km away from Carp, I completely missed the Fair this year!

Sometimes there are so many things to do in this city…

2 | Juliette

September 28th, 2010 at 9:18 pm

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We’re heading to the Metcalfe Fair this weekend – at least twice (we live in the area). So much fun.

3 | Shan @ The Fairy Blogmother

October 3rd, 2010 at 12:08 am

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My husband and I are heavily involved with our local fall fair. He sits on the board of directors as the 1st vice president in addition to the other committees within the fair he is involved with. I am their social media coordinator as well I organize the prize tabulation results for our school fair division, with 3000+ exhibits it’s a huge job. This year we organized and ran a very fun social media program that included live tweeting and giveaways if you found us on the grounds. On the Friday we had a local flickr group hold a photo walk at our fair, so we had photogs and tripods everywhere. It looked like a lot of fun.

4 | The Ultimate Ottawa bucket list! >> a peek inside the fishbowl

April 25th, 2012 at 7:20 am

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[…] any one of the areas rural fall fairs: such as the Carp Fair, Perth Fair, Metcalfe, Shawville. (I guess there’s no SuperEx this year […]

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