The first time I took photos at the Vankleek Hill Agricultural Fair was for the Photography course as part of the Journalism program I was in, we had to do a photo essay on ‘something fun’. I remember taking photos of the Demolition Derby, and being allowed to stand next to the concrete blocks that marked the ring the cars drove inside of — it was long enough ago that safety protocols didn’t really exist. I also remember the Midway being full of kids and colourful food booths.

The only thing that has changed since then is the Demolition Derby… it’s still a mid-to-late evening thing but the cars are a lot smaller, and sometimes they don’t even use cars, and the safety people won’t let me anywhere close to the action. Plus, the Demo-Derby stands are packed solid an hour or more before the event starts. And I hate jostling for position. So no more Derby photos for me.

But the Midway is still basically the same. The kids are the same age, the parents have basically the same patience — other than a deep-fried Oreo or a snow cone, the food is essentially the same. The rides have gotten significantly better over the past few years… I remember about five-years ago, I took my sons to the Fair and the main Midway attraction was a couple of bouncy castles. But that was the outlier, otherwise the Agricultural Society has done a great job over the years.

…anyway. The Fair is a great photo opportunity, and it helped me pass my Photography course — A+, baby!

So… if you’re down with it, just click on a photo to get the carousel going. Or not. No pressure.

…oh right, I almost forgot, here’s a link to the first post of my photos of the 180th Agricultural Fair: The Parade [link].