‘Not the rural community it used to be’

Niagara Regional Exhibition changes focus to keep up with the times

For many decades after the Niagara Regional Exhibition started in 1853, farming and agriculture were prominent themes.

But enthusiasm about that approach appears to have dried up, said Colin Bowman, president of Niagara Agricultural Society, the group that hosts the annual weekend-long event at the Welland fairgrounds on Niagara Street.

There won’t be vegetable growing contests like there were for many years, mostly because the society moved the fair from early September to early June in 2019, making it nearly possible for participants to have a crop worth showing off so early in the season.

Livestock shows are also no longer on the program for this year’s exhibition, which runs June 2 to 4.

The public doesn’t appear to care much to “see a cow in a barn,” and farmers who normally would participate have chosen not to recently.

“There’s just no interest in it anymore, which makes it harder to keep it agricultural,” said Bowman.

“The demographics aren’t here anymore. It’s just not the rural community it used to be.”

The exhibition was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and last year’s event did not involve a midway or rides.

But that is one component that will return to the schedule early next month.

There will be a monster truck show and rides, a demolition derby, food, vendors, a beer garden, an ATV mud bog, a truck and tractor pull, as well as on-site entertainment from a hypnotist, magician and comedian Danny Zzzz, who will host a feature show on the Saturday night and perform a “deathdefying stunt,” said Bowman, adding he can’t share more details about the act.

The society has a group of dedicated volunteers who will be on hand to run the exhibition.

“We’re lucky enough to have a small batch we can rely on,” said Bowman.

He said the 2023 edition of the exhibition is the society’s chance to make an impact with an entertaining event, which is going through many changes compared to years in the past.

“This is our year to come out of the shell and rebuild as a whole,” he said.

The fair was held in the fall when it started 170 years ago and stayed that way until 2019.

Welland County Fair was founded by the agricultural society at Port Robinson in 1853 before it moved to Denistoun Street four years later.

In 1970, the name of the fair was changed to the Niagara Regional Exhibition. Its Niagara Street location opened in 1975.

Traditionally, it had been focused on horticulture, agriculture and farming. It involved fruit- and vegetable-growing contests that started early in the summer leading up to weigh-ins and judging in September.

The objectives of the agricultural society, according to its website, are “to encourage interest, promote improvements in and advance the standards of agriculture and rural life.”

To view this year’s full schedule of events, visit niagaraex.com.