Folks, here is my article on the Fair, September 14 Since 1989, when my wife Barbara and I retired to Port Morien, we’ve been members of a community fair committee which has existed for 67 years, the stellar Margaret MacQueen having chaired it for 30 years and having been part of it much longer. In that time, many devoted volunteers and exhibitors have gone to their reward. Still the Fair continues. In effect, we’ve had an institution in our village for 67 continuous years-- from 1946 to the present. Many people predicted its demise, but it has survived because it is so rural, so communal, so Cape Breton in its nature. Every year we agonize over its continuance. Will we get a crowd? Will volunteers come forward? Will the high school marching band perform? Will we receive exhibits and floats and flowers and veggies and fancy work? Every year the fair plays out without a hitch. This year our fair will be held on Saturday, September 14, at the Royal Canadian Legion, Port Morien. Homeville’s Bill Phillips and his crew will set up the exhibit infrastructure on Friday afternoon, September 13. I’ll pound a few nails into that. Exhibitors will bring in their goods on Friday evening and the volunteers will take over. The fellowship will then begin. By the way the fair accepts items from near and far. The next morning the judges will arrive and they will judge the most exquisite offerings—quilts and jams and cakes and fancy work and veggies and flowers and pictures. Yearly, our displays are beautiful. The work of our elementary students will be on display. At 11.30 a.m. the exhibit hall will open. Meanwhile, downstairs at 11.00 a.m. a country store and numerous entrepreneurs will offer their goods. Old folk can use our new chair lift! The United Church Women will hold a bake sale that will sell out in less than an hour! From 11:00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. St. Paul’s Anglican parish will serve a ham and scalloped potato dinner, with dessert, for the princely fee of $10.00. Last year the dinner was extremely popular. At 12.30 p.m., at the fair grounds, the canteen will open outside the Legion, offering ice cream, hot dogs, pop. At the same time, there will be cycle parades by children followed by the Big Bounce as well as face painting. Before and after the parade, the famous Donkin Band will play. Volunteers will organize the parade at 1.30 p.m. and the parade, with floats and antique cars and marchers, will commence at 2 p.m. Last year the crowds were huge. Our faithful Glace Bay Marching Band will be there. They’ll play on the grounds and their proud parents will be there to hear them. We are delighted to have once again veteran performers Duncan Wells and Wally MacAulay to entertain us on the grounds at 2.30 p.m. They were a big hit last year. Within the Legion itself, there will be draws for exquisite prizes. And of course, you can take your chance on the even split. After that, the Fair will conclude at 4 p.m. That’s not all. One of the biggest draws last year was Sunday’s country breakfast from 8.30 to 10.30 sponsored by the Legion. You ain’t lived until you attended a Port Morien Fair. No passport required.
Posted on: Mon, 26 Aug 2013 22:28:40 +0000
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