Carp Fair ready to take over weekend

CARP – The 161st Carp Fair is just two days away, and the Carp Fairgrounds are busy with hundreds of volunteers working long days to make sure everything is picture perfect for The Best Little Fair in Canada.

West Carleton Online dropped by the fairgrounds this morning (Sept. 24) to speak with this year’s presidents, Jean Sullivan and Jon Daley.

They too were busy as bees, with Daley high up in the air, looking to raise the flag on the Carp Exhibit Hall flagpole. But a big part of the Carp Fair presidents’ job is to promote the fair, and Sullivan and Daley obliged speaking to West Carleton Online about the fair just two sleeps away.

“It’s going very quick it seems, actually,” Daley said. “Looking around the grounds even Sunday, it seems like a whole bunch of people are set up. Perhaps for the weather ahead of us, but the weekend is looking better.”

While weather forecasts more than three days out are for entertainment purposes only, things are looking good. Rain tomorrow (Sept. 25), about 10 to 20 millimetres, and then a chance of showers Thursday (Sept. 26), sunny Friday (Sept. 27), and some clouds on the weekend (Sept. 28 and 29). Temperatures are expected to be in the low 20s (Celsius) all week long – perfect fair weather.

“Other than that, it’s coming along very quickly, and people are hustling to beat that weather,” Daley said.

“The grounds are full of people,” Sullivan said. “The volunteers are decorating. We got Robertson Amusements setting up the midway. Vendors will be showing up shortly. The grounds will be jam packed with what we put together for the fair every year.”

Becoming a Carp Fair president is a long, hard process. After joining the Carp Agricultural Society (CAS) you then have to be nominated by the outgoing presidents to join the board. After that, it’s a 12-year journey where board members must lead every committee once each year. And then, you might be named either Homecraft or Agricultural president.

Pretty much every board member are longtime volunteers, and before that, fair goers for years, and that is true of both Sullivan and Daley.

“When I showed up hear on set-up week, I felt a little bit lost,” Daley said. “I didn’t have a department to focus on. However, I was able to go around and oversee all of them and have a peek at what everyone was doing. It was kind of a unique experience in terms of being the president and seeing all the departments and not just your own.”

“That’s right,” Sullivan said. “You realize how much you depend on your board of directors to carry the heavy load. There’s lots they do behind the scenes we never even know about and that’s the way it’s always been, I’m sure. The volunteers in the kitchen, that’s sort of my spot for the week, serving lunches for the hundreds of volunteers that show up here, and that’s pretty rewarding. All the ladies who show up and put the meals together, that’s pretty cool stuff.”

This week those volunteers are making lunch for hundreds of others. Yesterday (Sept. 23), the food crew made 145 lunches for on-site volunteers and expect that number again Wednesday, or maybe closer to 200.

“We’re up to 300 on Thursday, with people working and judging the homecraft and agriculture entries,” Daley said.

“It gets bigger as you go along the week,” Sullivan said. “A lot of the same people for the whole week. People take time off from work to come volunteer. That’s a pretty good testament to the dedication we have from this community.”

And the presidents say, they don’t spend the week telling people what to do.

“We’re not even really overseeing,” Sullivan said. “We’re doing what we can do that’s left for the presidents to do and everyone else is doing their own jobs with no direction or input from us. They know what to do. It’s very humbling.”

“A popular saying around here is, ‘it all comes together,’” Daley said.

The fair opens Thursday afternoon, and that evening the popular Carp Fair Homecoming event is held, where the board hosts more than 450 sponsors, volunteers, surrounding fair boards and people critical to the success of the fair.

“It’s an evening to honour our sponsors and donors and volunteers and those who help support us financially and with their own time and talent,” Sullivan said. “It’s kind of a kick-off to the fair. Celebrating our best, that’s our theme and there’s no better way to celebrate our best than being in the room with them.”

While there’s still lots of work to do, Sullivan and Daley can also look ahead to some of the things they’ve enjoyed for decades at past fairs, but now can experience as the faces of the event.

“I’m looking forward to seeing the fair again,” Sullivan said. “Volunteers, when you are in charge of a department, that’s kind of where you’re stationed. That’s the sad part from the director’s point of view, because sometimes you don’t get to go around and experience the fair. So, that’s what I’m looking forward to. But certainly, the traditional stuff. I’m looking forward to the heavy horse shows, we’ve got our Ottawa Valley six-horse hitch finals. The four-horse one will be Friday evening under the lights, so that’s going to be exciting. Black Creek Rodeo this year, that’s new, a new rodeo provider, so I’m looking forward to that.”

“I echo what Jean said, we finally get to enjoy the fair, and I’ve been told that by past presidents,” Daley said. “’It’s your time to enjoy it and go around and see the attractions,’ and I’m definitely on board with that. I love the heavy horses, the draft horses, so I’ll be watching them Saturday after the parade. Of course, the parade is a big thing to look forward to as well, that is one of our babies (each president gets to give a speech to fairgoers in the heavy horse ring). Black Creek Rodeo, I want to take in some of that and enjoy it with my family.”

“Tim Hicks on Friday night, that’s going to be a big event,” Sullivan said.

“Every day I’m looking forward to something so it’s not just something individual for me,” Daley said.

For decades, Carp Fair Friday has been an unofficial P.A. Day for West Carleton area students, but this year it is an actual P.A. Day, so expect to see a packed midway on the first full day of the fair.

With the fair coming up fast, the presidents say there are a bit of nerves heading in to the final stretch.

“For me, I’m still trying to get my speeches and stuff down,” Daley said. “I think I have a lot of that down. I think telling a joke is probably the hardest part. A good one anyway.”

“Its good to be a tag team,” Sullivan said. “You are never on your own. We support each other and I think we have from the beginning, and it’s been a fun go.”

“It shouldn’t be nerve-wracking anymore,” Daley said. “We’ve done a few of these and we’re halfway through.”

“It’s not about us really,” Sullivan said. “Nobody is here to listen to us talk, they just want to come and enjoy the fair.”

The presidents are looking forward to seeing you whether you want to listen to them or not.

“Come and enjoy the fair,” Sullivan said. “And celebrate our best. We’re pretty proud to be part of this organization, Jonny and I, and the whole directorship is. Past presidents support us all the way through, and that’s what we can look forward to, coming back and still being part of it.”

“The day of the fair is the day to be there,” Daley said.

To see the full Carp Fair schedule, click here.

For coverage of last year’s Carp Fair, click here.