Already Abbotsford’s favourite community event, the 2011 Abbotsford Agrifair, Jul. 28-Aug. 1, gave local residents and visitors so much more to celebrate.
“We had one of our best fairs ever,” says Agrifair president Harry deJong. “The weather co-operated, we had steady crowds and everyone had smiles on their faces.”
The Mighty Fraser Rodeo again drew capacity crowds to the Thunder Bowl for each of their three evening performances. Rodeo fans appreciated the addition of the Jumbotron screen with its instant replays and the antics of clown Bert Davis’ Muttley Crew. Lord Strathcona’s Mounted Troop was another fair highlight, also drawing large crowds to the Thunder Bowl Thursday through Sunday and to the Agrifair Arena Monday afternoon.
“The members of the regiment really love their visits to Agrifair and that shows in the quality of their performances,” Agrifair general manager Pamela Brenner says.
The Country Horse Classic was another highlight, drawing full crowds to the Agrifair Arena every day. Guests also appreciated the addition of the Open Horse Show after an absence of many years.
“Not only did we have more competitors than we expected but a lot of our audience stayed in the stands for both the Country Horse Classic and the Open Horse Show,” notes Country Horse Classic co-ordinator Bob Street. “This is definitely a show we will be building up in the future.”
Another highlight was the KidZone which featured the exciting Spring UP Trampoline Show and the Trial Stars Bike Demo Team.
“We had thousands of kids come through this year,” says KidZone co-ordinator Asger Hansen. “It was a fantastic experience."
But the real highlights were the unexpected delights. Dan the One Man Band not only entertained on-site but also entertained fair guests as they waited to enter the main gates. Ariel and Rochelle provided fascinating on-stage magic, then entertained many guests one-on-one with close-up magic. Unique new food vendors added diversity to the food offerings with many popular new menu items, such as deep fried pickles and potatoes on a stick. TJ’s Lounge, the first time Agrifair has offered a licenced family venue, was also a popular retreat and popular place to watch the Main Stage entertaimment. And the Abbotsford Diversity Project which brought new variety to the Main Stage.
“Having the First Nations drummers, Punjabi dancers and other multicultural entertainers on stage each day added so much to our entertainment lineup,” notes Agrifair entertainment co-ordinator Brad Styba.
“The addition of the Diversity Project to our lineup really cemented Abbotsford Agrifair as a true community-wide celebration,” deJong said.