By Sue Tiffin

As summer nears, the Minden Fairgrounds will once again be filled with music, animals and people celebrating and promoting agriculture. 

A Haliburton County Fair Event – a sort of micro-fair – will be held on June 11, the second Saturday of June. A Minden horse pull and live country music show, sponsored by the Minden Agricultural Society have been announced, with more activities and events planned by the day. 

“It’s not going to be the full fair, but just so people have something to go to and watch,” said Eric Casper, a director on the agricultural society. “It should be a nice day, and hopefully we’ll have good weather for it.”

The event includes live music by Stockdale Central, Ian Brohm and a special performance by Linda Robertson and Wendy Connelly, Country Bluegrass Band and Davis and Grant. A horse pull takes place in the afternoon.

Rather than a ticketed price this year, admission will be by donation at the gate. 

Casper said the micro-fair is a “little go-between,” before a bigger event next year, when the agricultural society has more time to plan the full event. Generally, in non-pandemic times, the group starts planning for the next fair directly after the fair they’ve held. 

The first show is planned for 11 a.m. and the horse pull starts at 2:30 p.m.

For more information visit haliburtoncountyfair.ca.

Agricultural Society looks to future

On April 30, at 1 p.m., the Minden Agricultural Society will meet for an annual general meeting at the Minden United Church. At that meeting, Casper said, the group will talk about the future of the society, which needs more board members and associate board members who care about agriculture.

“I think the important part is, because it’s the agricultural society that hosts the fair, you have to have some passion or want to promote agricultural ideas to the community,” said Casper. “That’s the whole purpose of the fair, to have the young people getting to see the horses or other farm animals, or different aspects of a farm, the exhibit building where you can see fruit and vegetables, the fruits of labour of growing your own food.”

Casper said the volunteer work required through the agricultural society can be varied, and so any skill that someone can bring to the table is welcome, and through volunteer work, he said skills will be gained. 

“When I started, when I was younger, through all of your experiences, you gain something from that, so if you were looking to gain something in your life, a skill or just wanted to keep yourself busy, it’s a great opportunity for that,” he said. “Whether it’s music, or children’s exhibits or running the animal portion, or food and drinks – there are all kinds of options, all kinds of avenues that you can imagine for an event.”

All are welcome. Members must be 18 or older, but those younger can still volunteer or help organize a section of the fair or event without being a member. The group usually meets once a month. 

“We need people to either join us this year, or say, ‘I’ll join you in the upcoming year,’ and be prepared to organize and help with 2023 events,” said Casper. 

For more information, contact Eric Casper at casper.3742@gmail.com.