Five days of fair fun ahead at the Lindsay Exhibition

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard

LINDSAY: The trucks have been polished, the heavy horses have been groomed, and another fair season is about to get underway in Lindsay.

The Lindsay Exhibition (LEX) officially gets underway, on Wednesday, September 23rd, continuing through Sunday, September 27th. The annual gathering once again brings together agriculture, livestock, entertainment and plenty of old-fashioned fair fun.

The opening weekend of this year's event started early with Horsepower Weekend, on September 19th and 20th. It offered a preview of some of the machinery and horsepower which has long been part of the Exhibition, with a Truck Show & Shine, Heavy Horse Show, antique farm equipment demonstrations and the popular Touch a Truck attraction.

For local families, the weekend provided an opportunity to get a close look at the equipment while enjoying some of the social atmosphere which has become part of the annual event.

“It was great to see the community come out and enjoy it,” said local resident Tanya Smith. “The kids especially loved the trucks, but there was plenty there for adults to enjoy too.”

Another visitor, Jackie Lewis, of Lindsay, said, Horsepower Weekend was a fitting way to get the Exhibition season started.

“It brings back a lot of those old fair memories,” said Ms. Lewis. “You have the trucks, the horses and the farm equipment, and then you see families walking around enjoying themselves. That's what a fair should be.”

With Horsepower Weekend in the books, attention now turns to the main Exhibition which opens to the public, on Wednesday morning.

While the midway and grandstand attractions are among the biggest draws for many visitors, agriculture remains at the centre of the Lindsay Exhibition.

Livestock competitions will fill the barns, throughout the week, with beef and dairy cattle, sheep, goats, poultry, rabbits and horses among those taking part.

The Commonwell Exhibition Building will also showcase the work of local exhibitors. Displays will feature everything from quilts and preserves to floral arrangements, vegetables and other agricultural and homecraft entries.

The fair's traditional horse pulls will provide another opportunity to see some of the strength and skill associated with the region's agricultural heritage. For those looking for a little more noise and horsepower, the grandstand will be the place to be Thursday evening when the truck and tractor pulls take over the Exhibition grounds.

Registration and weigh-ins are scheduled from 5 to 7 p.m., with the pulls beginning at 7:30 p.m.

Friday night will see the action shift to GrassHogs lawn tractor racing, with hot laps and qualifying rounds beginning at 7 p.m.

Saturday will bring another busy day, with heavy horse pulls, beef and dairy cattle showing and live music throughout the day. The truck and tractor pull finals are scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

The Exhibition closes out the weekend Sunday, with midway rides beginning at 11 a.m. and activities continuing throughout the day, including demolition derbies, 4-H youth livestock finals and agricultural exhibits.

And, as always, there will be plenty happening away from the barns and grandstand.

The midway will be open throughout the week, while visitors can browse vendor booths, grab some traditional fair food or simply spend a few hours wandering the grounds and catching up with friends and neighbours.

“It's one of those events where you always run into somebody you know,” said Graham Jacobs, of Lindsay. “You might come for one thing, but you end up spending the whole day there.”

The Exhibition opens Wednesday at 7:30 a.m., with midway rides and games beginning at 4 p.m.

Thursday's midway opens at 2 p.m., while rides begin at 11 a.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Admission is $15 plus tax for adults, $10 plus tax for youth aged 13 to 17 and seniors 65 and older, with children 12 and under admitted free.

Visitors who attended Horsepower Weekend are encouraged to hold onto their wristbands, which provide $5 off general admission during the main Exhibition week.

Midway ride wristbands are $40 and are available online or at the fair.

For a community which has long celebrated its agricultural roots, the Lindsay Exhibition remains an annual marker of the arrival of autumn, a place where generations can take in the livestock barns, watch the horsepower in the grandstand, enjoy the midway and spend some time with neighbours.

After getting an early taste of fair season during Horsepower Weekend, the LEX is ready to open its gates once again.