Although our spring temperatures have been hit and miss—mostly miss—at the time of this writing, the calendar assures us that summer is just around the corner.
And that means so is the Niverville Olde Tyme Country Fair.
Heading into its twenty-fourth year, the fair is making changes in 2019 to its pricing structure, hoping to entice younger families to come out and enjoy the weekend.
“Last year we added the youth ticket, which was $5 per day for those 12 and under,” says organizer Dustin Krahn on behalf of the fair committee. “In the past, it has always been two and under for free. This year, we’ve expanded the free admission to those under the age of five, so hopefully that makes a good difference to some of the young families.”
In addition to the pricing changes, the fair will also offer an early bird deal with savings for adult and youth weekend passes. As part of the deal, adult weekend passes will cost $25 (a savings of $5) and youth weekend passes will cost $8 (a savings of $2)—that deal is set to expire on May 1, but it will be extended until mid-May for those who haven’t had a chance to take advantage of it.
Something new the committee is trying this year is offering a family pack. While the details are still being determined, the fair committee hopes it will help make this year’s event more affordable to more people.
One of the biggest reasons the fair is able to run successfully every year is because of its hard-working volunteers.
In previous years, the volunteer base has remained pretty consistent, but with a number of those volunteers now stepping down, the committee is looking to the next generation to step up and take the reins.
“This year we’ve made the move to provide all of the volunteers free admission for the day that they are volunteering, in the hopes that it will promote a few more people to step up,” explains Krahn. “In the coming years, we will very likely be needing to fill more and more spots as some of the older volunteers step aside.”
There are exciting additions coming to the entertainment side of things as well, including a partnership with the Great Canadian Dollar Store. This partnership will result in a new Kids Zone, with more hands-on activities for kids to participate in. The petting zoo and bouncers will be returning as well.
The Kids Zone is still in the planning stages, so more updates will be released on the fair’s website as they become available.
For the adult, the fair is amping things up this year by adding a karaoke party following the blackout fireworks on Friday night. The event will take place in the beer gardens tent, where the fair has partnered with the Trans Canada Brewing Company.
The beer gardens will also feature local bands, just as it did last year. The committee is in the process of booking bands, so local artists are encouraged to reach out if they are interested in playing at the gardens over the weekend.
A 1980s cover band will get things going on Friday evening for the folks who are looking for a genre aside from the annual Saturday country concert.
The fair will also have a dog show, featuring rescue dogs turned performers, courtesy of Canines in the Clouds. Friday and Saturday will additionally feature a hypnotist.
For those who have made the fair a staple of their summer, or for those who are perhaps going to experience it for the first time, the Olde Tyme Country Fair definitely has something for everyone.
