The Drumbo Agricultural Society is counting down the days until the 175th annual Drumbo Fair, which runs on Saturday, September 20, 2025 from 9 a.m to 5 p.m., and Sunday, September 21, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The long-awaited event, which has been running since 1850, will once again feature a host of fun family-friendly activities.
Susan Elmes, vice-president of the agricultural society, said that while the event may not be a large spectacle like other nearby fairs, the priority remains on providing young families with a memorable experience that doesn’t break the bank and focuses on rural fun.
“The admission is only $12, and all the activities are included in that price so that the parents don’t have to spend anything extra,” she said.
On Saturday, families can expect to enjoy several attractions including the Old McDonald’s Farm by the Little Hobby Farm, the miniature horse show and draft horse show, a beef show, and a falcon demonstration.
“We also have a fun little baby show on Saturday. The parents will bring their little ones up and we often look for things like the happiest baby, the baby with the curliest hair or the baby with the least hair… things like that. We also have something called ‘chip off the old block’ with the parents, and for that we’ll do the applause-o-metre where we let the crowd decide which parent and child looks the most alike,” said Elmes. “We also have ‘Mom’ calling where the kids come up and have to scream as loud as they can for their mom, and again we’ll use the applause-o-metre to see which child yelled the loudest. And at the end, we hand out a big rosette ribbon. It sounds a little hokey, but it’s just good old country fun.”
The fun continues on Sunday with more attractions including the youth and open horse show, the youth rabbit and poultry show, a sheep shearing demonstration, an evening car show and the Kidpreneurs market.
“This we’ll be the third or fourth time we’ve done the Kids Market and it’s just a place where the kids can bring in and sell the wares they’ve created,” said Elmes. “It’s really cute because they come with everything rehearsed and they get to describe how they got into their business and pitch their products. It’s just so interesting to see how well they do and they make some very lovely things. I’m always impressed with how professional they are.”
Of course, there will also be many activities set up on both days including the agri-art tent and the Oxford County library tent, as well as some handcraft demonstrations, live music, Tom Bishop’s “Wild West Show, the “Flying Furballs” dog agility show and Jaws of Life demonstrations with the fire department.
As well, children will have full access to the Children’s Villages where they can enjoy different inflatables, the kiddie playground, pony rides, face painting, balloon animals and the bales of straw playground, where a candy toss takes place at the end of each day.
Elmes said aside from the whole event being a bargain, another thing that sets the Drumbo Fair apart from others is the attention to detail throughout the grounds.
“What’s wonderful about our fair is that it’s beautifully decorated and people really notice that. We have corn stalks on every pillar, we have straw bales set up with pumpkins and mums, and there’s tractors all lined up and so the grounds are just beautiful,” she said. “Another thing is that we always make sure to have lovely ribbons for the people who are exhibiting. I think people really appreciate that because they put in the effort to enter and so that’s just our way of thanking them, you know?”
Overall, Elmes said that she and the rest of the Agricultural Society are looking forward to putting on another event and celebrating 175 years of family fun.
“We’re one of the older fairs in the province, there aren’t many that have hit 175 years yet and so this is quite the milestone; especially when you take in the fact that other than in 2020, there’s always been a fair,” she said. “I really take great pride in this event because it’s just a lovely little fair, and it has all the wonderful things that make a fall fair without having a big midway or a demolition derby or those big name entertainers; our tag line is ‘simply country, simply fun,’ and so our focus is on the young families and we’ve really done well with that. It’s like the best kept secret.”
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
