CORNWALL, Ontario – The Williamstown Fair is Canada’s Oldest Annual Fair. The fair which ran Aug. 4 to the 7 has seen many changes over the years, but the one constant is its agricultural base. Fair President, Pierre Roy said of the fair, “Its biggest attraction is that it caters to family and what family means to the rural community.”
For over 200 years the Williamstown has kept its core events, which include competitions for livestock, a variety of horse shows, sheep shearing, exhibits of home and garden as well as many games and sports. The community has been gathering annually since 1808. Roy said, “The fair was originally held on the streets of Williamstown.”
But in 1812 when the fair grounds were donated by Sir John Johnson, The Williamstown Fair was created. Although, the fair now includes a midway Roy said, “(The fair) embodies all things that make a rural community unique.” Roy explained how even the changes and additions of buildings try to keep a historic feel.
