The Paris Agricultural Society is preparing to host the 2022 Paris Fair from September 1 to 5, featuring headlining Canadian country performers Aaron Goodvin and The Washboard Union.
Cheryl Muir, Manager of the Paris Ag Society, said they are very excited about this year’s entertainment lineup.
“We were pretty happy that we were able to negotiate to afford both performers,” she said. “We like to feature Canadian entertainment, and these artists are both class acts.”
Aaron Goodvin takes the stage on Friday, September 2 and The Washboard Union performs on Sunday, September 4. Entry to both concerts is included in the cost of general admission into the fair. Those looking to enjoy an alcoholic beverage during the shows can pay a cover charge to access the licensed area. The field will be split so attendees can get close to the stage in either section. New this year, the stage will face the grandstand to allow more people to sit and enjoy the concerts.
“We do it this way because we want to keep it as affordable as possible for everyone to enjoy the fair,” Muir said. “The general admission fee includes free parking and access to all buildings and shows. The only other costs for families are the midway and any food and drinks.”
In addition to the headlining shows, the event has added a new Open Mic Talent Night.
“In the past, we’ve had a talent competition where the winner went on to represent the fair at the Western Fair in London, but they were not doing that event this year. We saw an opportunity to try something different and that’s where the Open Mic idea came in. It’s an opportunity for anybody to come and show their talent to the crowd.”
Other crowd favourites are back at the fair this year including the midway, extreme dogs stunt shows, freestyle motocross, and the newly revamped demolition derby.
“We have always been very popular for our demolition derbies,” Muir said. “The people that ran the derby in the past, Thrill Show Productions, retired during COVID-19 after over 50 years. This year, we have our own demolition derby program committee, which consists of members of our organization, organizing the derby themselves. We’re pretty excited about that.”
Muir said that the Ag Society has always had a great relationship with Thrill Show Productions and the Williams family and will have an entire building called “Road Warriors” in dedication to the many years of demolition derbies and thrill shows.
In addition to the daily entertainment, the fair has competitions, displays and educational information for attendees to learn about agriculture.
“We are an agricultural fair and it is very important for us to continue highlighting the local agriculture community,” she said. “We have so many competitions that are both entertaining and educational including barrel racing, sheep and goat competitions, and the ever popular heavy horse competition.”
After a long year of planning, Muir said that she is really looking forward to another great year.
“It’s a breath of relief, that’s for sure,” she said. “Last year we were dealing with regulation changes right up until the day before the fair opened. It has been so nice to not have that added concern this year.”
The Paris Fair operates on the work of nearly 500 volunteers over the course of the weekend.
“We’re always looking for new members to kind of come in and learn because we have some members that have been here for five generations of families,” Muir said. “We have such a great wealth of knowledge that we’re always eager to pass on to new members and volunteers.”
For the schedule of daily events, directions and tickets to the fair, visit www.parisfairgrounds.com.
