PARIS Excitement was evident as the Paris Fair made a triumphant return without pandemic restrictions.
Jay Wood, president of the Paris Agricultural Society, said the excitement can be seen as soon as visitors came through the gates at the Paris fairgrounds.
“The fair is kind of the last hurrah of summer and vacation to be with the kids, see a couple shows, have some fun, and then get back into the structure, get back into the work week” after Labor Day, he said.
The 164th edition of the fair ran from Sept. 1 to 5. This year’s event had none of the restrictions put in place last year because of the pandemic. The fair was canceled in 2020, a victim of COVID-19
Organizers expected the fair’s attendance to reach 50,000 visitors, similar to 2019’s attendance numbers.
Wood said that Sept 3 was a peak day with about 20,000 visitors.
He noted that parking was at capacity, with vehicles lined up for two to three kilometers.
“We have an upper lot, lower lot, and then our overflow lot which probably holds another 500 cars, and we ran out of parking.”
Wood attributed the fair’s success in part to the support of nearly 500 volunteers.
“From what I’ve been told, we are one of the top five fairs in Ontario,” he said, noting that the others include the CNE in Toronto, London’s Western Fair and the Norfolk Fair in Simcoe.
Julia Waddon from Brantford visited the fair with her daughter, Margaret Poole, and grandchildren Samantha and Charlie.
She said visiting the fair is a family tradition that she is happy to be able to resume.
Poole, now living in Toronto, said she was last at the fair about 20 years ago.
“It’s probably a similar size from what I remember.”
Waddon noted that the fair’s layout has not changed much over the years.
“Got to love the good old Lions food booth — and the cotton candy,” she said.
“What would we do at a fair without cotton candy?”