The Paris Agricultural Society (PAS) is preparing to host the 166th Paris Fair from Thursday, August 29 to Monday, September 2, 2024.
Amy Warner, General Manager for the PAS, said the long-awaited end of summer event will feature several fair classics as well as the return of the RCMP Musical Ride.
“When they were here in 2016, it was our highest attended date ever,” she said. “We’re very fortunate that they’ll be here again and we’re hoping for record attendance with their return. There will be two 30 to 40 minute performances happening, one on Thursday evening for the opening ceremonies at 7:00 p.m., and then again on Friday afternoon at 2:00 p.m.”
The fair’s Musical Ride will feature 21 RCMP officers and their horses. Together, the riders will perform intricate figures and drills choreographed to music as they celebrate the heritage and history of the RCMP.
As always, the fair will also feature several Canadian country acts. Jade Eagleson will take the stage at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 31 while Brett Kissel will perform at 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 1. Entry to both of the concerts is included in the cost of general admission into the fair. Those interested in enjoying an alcoholic beverage during the shows can access the licensed area for a cover charge.
In addition to the headlining shows, the event has added a few new activities to its line up.
“This year we have Meet the Keepers joining us. It’s a wildlife rescue experience, so they’ll be putting on a few live shows each day and then they’ll have a static display of educational pieces as well,” said Warner. “On Friday night, we also have the Brant County Brews Tasting Event for those people that don’t want to go see the demolition derby. That will take place in the exhibition hall and it’s a tasting event with a couple local breweries, a cidery and a winery, as well as live music from Ty Baynton.”
The General Manager also noted that other crowd favourites will be making the return to the fair this year.
“We always like to have some things set up for the children so we’re going to have the princesses, the BarryO Kids Show and lots of other kids entertainment inside,” she said. “Freestyle motocross is also back this year and, of course, the Campbell Amusements midway will be there which is always fun and exciting. We also have our demolition derby which will take place at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, and the figure eight will happen at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday.”
In addition to the daily entertainment, the fair has a variety of displays, competitions and educational information for attendees to learn about agriculture such as the goat show, beef show, OBRA barrel racing events, milking demonstrations and the Brant County 4-H dairy show.
Warner said that overall, the society is looking forward to putting on the annual fair.
“This is who we are and it’s a tradition that we have as volunteers, as a community and as a fair family,” she said. “Looking at the two-week weather forecast, everything’s looking pretty great and so we’re all getting excited as it gets closer.”
She added that when it comes to keeping the fair in working order, it couldn’t be done without their many volunteers dedicating the time.
“We have about 225 regular volunteers and that number really swells to about 500 people when it comes time to help put on the fair,” said Warner. “We only have a handful of paid staff here, so we absolutely could not do it with all those volunteers.”
For the full schedule of daily events, directions and tickets to the fair, visit www.parisfairgrounds.com
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.
