A country fair with 58 years of history is coming back to South Arm United Church on Sept. 16.
Thousands of people will gather to enjoy a wide variety of local food and drinks, “old-fashioned” games, live entertainment from local artists and the city’s largest garage sale.
“What really makes the country fair special is that people come from different areas and ethnic groups in Richmond, and we all have a good time together, the (smiling) faces on the kids are great,” said Olwen Walker, co-chair of the annual fair.
When it was started in 1959, the Annual Country Fair served as a special event for people from the local community to have fun together and purchase things for their kids going back to school.
“Many people moved here following work after a big plant was built down the road,” Walker explained.
“But there wasn’t much for them to do in the area, and there weren't things like a community hall, so this (country fair) was started as the community entrainment and a good way for the community to get together.”
Walker said the fair has almost remained the same style in the past decades, and people today can still enjoy "old-fashioned" activities that they may never get the chance to experience elsewhere.
For example, attendees can take a bouncy bus through the fields, or a hay ride — a traditional recreational ride in a wagon pulled by a tractor — during the fair.
The fair also offers the largest garage sale in Richmond, where tens of thousands of items donated by churches will be sold.
“I don’t even hesitate to guess how many items we have!” said Walker.
She said when the fair was first introduced, people didn’t have a lot of money to spend, so a garage sale was started for them to come and buy things without spending a lot of money.
Walker noted that this year’s “celebrity” items include an old-style typewriter, a brand new stainless sink, and an antique piano.
Normally, three-quarters of the items will be sold at the fair and the rest will be sent to charitable organizations later, according to Walker.
People can also take home a variety of home baking, farm products, fresh flowers and plants.
“We have a guy who comes up from Seattle for home-made dill pickles every year,” said Walker.
“The love that you can really feel in the air is one of the things that really makes the country fair a special event,” said Walker.
