Our History

Our Fair was established by a Royal Letter dated Sept. 15, 1856 granting permission by Queen Victoria to establish a public fair in the Village of Shannonville.

 

In the early days, a fair would have been one of the few opportunities for people of the community to get together for a weekend to celebrate the harvest season.   It would be a rare chance for farmers to mingle with their friends and neighbors.   Keeping the fair alive, keeps the tradition alive.    We have managed to do that now for 168 years.

 

That's an impressive feat for a community so small it has no official boundaries.     Yet a determined group of volunteers have kept it going, knowing that to lose it would mean losing a part of the community’s history and an opportunity to teach youth about agriculture.

Thanks to Queen Victoria our fair did start in the Village of Shannonville.    For the last 20 or so years, the host site of the fair, is at the Recreation Complex in Tyendinaga Township, just north of Shannonville and near an intersection known as Melrose.    Much has  changed over the last 168 years, but the annual late summer agricultural celebration is a mainstay.

 

The Shannonville Agricultural Society which runs the fair, is a healthy group of volunteers who are always willing to do the tedious work needed to run the fair every year.   Of course very generous businesses and a Tyendinaga Township Council provide our much needed support and sponsorship's.