There鈥檒l be no traditional Saanich Fair this September, but the group that runs the popular event is determined to keep it alive online.
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be put on in a different way,鈥� Dave Hamer, president of the North and South Saanich Agricultural Society, said Monday. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to have something that will be virtual. It鈥檚 not going to be your traditional Saanich Fair where 50,000 people come in for three days.鈥�
Moving the event online will maintain an unbroken thread for Western sa国际传媒鈥檚 longest continually running agricultural fair, which dates back to 1868 鈥� 13 years before sa国际传媒 entered Confederation.
鈥淲e鈥檙e just barely keeping it going, but we can still say it鈥檚 happening,鈥� Hamer said.
It won鈥檛 be the same, though. There鈥檒l be no crowds swarming the livestock displays, no noisy throngs of children piling onto the rides at the fairgrounds on Stelly鈥檚 Cross Road.
鈥淭here鈥檒l be a lot of upset people,鈥� Hamer acknowledged. The change will hit not only the fairgoers and exhibitors but participants ranging from West Coast Amusements, which runs the midway, to the sports team that earns revenue by handling parking and security. Eighteen non-profit groups rely on the money they earn from food concessions. The society itself 鈥� with 500 volunteers and six full-time staff 鈥� uses money from the Labour Day weekend fair to maintain the fairgrounds.
Hamer said there might be some sort of presence on the site on the Labour Day weekend 鈥� a farmers鈥� market is one possibility 鈥� but it will have to be small.
Health guidelines that promote physical distancing, limit the size of gatherings to fewer than 50 and urge people to conduct their interactions without lingering do not lend themselves to what fairgoers would normally expect.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the complete opposite of what we want to do at the fair,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e want you to stay all day.鈥�
That said, the society said it supports the sa国际传媒 government鈥檚 guidelines. 鈥淭he health and wellness of our community is foremost and we recognize that extraordinary steps need to be taken now so that we can get back to a normal life sooner than later,鈥� a news release from the group stated.
The release spoke of plans to use social media tools to host educational and entertaining activities online. 鈥淭his is a challenging time but we are resilient, creative and fun 鈥� the show must go on! As we begin planning for unique online events and activities, we鈥檇 love to hear your ideas for a virtual fall fair experience. If you have questions or ideas please contact us at [email protected] or call 250-652-3314.鈥�
The society also said it looked聽forward to returning to a more traditional format on Sept.聽4-6, 2021.
