Anytime you organize an outdoor festival in Manitoba, you’re left to the mercy of the weather. This year, the rain fell throughout the entire Friday evening portion of the Niverville Olde Tyme Country Fair. Fortunately, the sun came out on Saturday.
“It’s fantastic to see people take ownership of the fair and pitch in, whether it be to donate, volunteer, help plan and organize, or to simply show up and have fun, even when the weather throws us a curve ball,” says fair organizer Dustin Krahn. “Attendance was down, obviously, but we were quite amazed and proud to see people power through the rain and make the best of the weekend. That makes a huge difference between it being a lower than average year versus a total flop.”
Despite constant rain on Friday from roughly 6:00 to 10:00 p.m., people still walked up and down Main Street, grabbing food from vendors and dancing at the mainstage.
According to members of The Big City All Star Band, which entertained the crowd on Friday, nowhere near this many people would be out enjoying themselves in the rain at most city venues.
The weather decided to cooperate later on Friday, which meant the fireworks could still light up the sky. “The fireworks being back in the schoolyard was also very nice to see,” Krahn says. “Archangel Fireworks did a really good job of making that happen for us.”
Saturday was filled with performances and activities for the whole family. On top of staples such as the parade, hot dog lunch, and petting zoo, the fair brought in several new attractions.
“This year we focused on getting more entertainers and spreading them around the street for the kids to enjoy,” Krahn adds. “We had lots of jugglers, mascots, and magicians all spread around.”
The dirt bike stunt crew weren’t able to perform Friday or most of Saturday, due to rain and high winds, but they managed to get in one awe-inspiring performance Saturday evening. Also new this year were acrobats performing for the first time ever on a double tall trampoline.
The beer gardens were such a hit in 2016 that they were open both nights at the mainstage. Quinton Blair, The Washboard Union, and Cold Creek County got everyone on their feet to end the street party Saturday night.
The fair committee would love to see more people join the ongoing effort to make the Olde Type Country Fair a memorable event for Niverville and the whole region. Right now, only a small group of people is responsible to organize the weekend.
“The more people we have, the easier it gets for everyone,” Krahn says. “And the better the plan, the better the fair!”
