Published in The BANAR February 2024
How did you get involved with the FunFair?
My wife and I are nearing 20 years living in Blackburn and, like many, we used to take our kids to the annual fair. We liked it because it wasn’t super loud or boisterous or big. It had a good community vibe and we appreciated that. Then we started helping out, with the book sale, the Fun Run, wherever we were needed. And we enjoyed the experience. I have an IT background and redesigned the website a few years ago, helped with the stage set up and tear down and food vendors in more recent years. I’ve been involved in different aspects of the fair for about five years now and always felt appreciated by the group. There’s been really good leadership here in past chairs Brent Lawrie, Mike Murphy and Trisha Cloutier and I know they were all feeling the weight of responsibility managing the fair these past few years. I feel I’m ready to take the torch and carry on the good work they’ve done and hope I can live up to the example they’ve set.
Is that a new look logo?
Yes. I wanted a simple redesign to emphasize our local roots and convey some fair nostalgia. Or as our social media team aptly put it – our iconic Blackburn hornet takes center stage amid vibrant fireworks, capturing the essence of our spirited community.
Do we have enough volunteers?
Sadly no. The FunFair is blessed with a small group of dedicated volunteers who plan and organize the event. It’s an important task. But everyone’s time and commitment competes with other personal priorities. This year that means we specifically need:
- a coordinator to organize the dog show
- a coordinator to help with the FunRun
- a coordinator to organize volunteers on fair weekend
- SmartServe certified adults who can bartend on fair weekend
- help with stage set-up and teardown
- adult help to take tickets
- book storage volunteers – folks with garage space to store books in the months prior to the fair
I’m keenly aware that there are some volunteers who have been doing this for decades and want to pass the torch to a younger generation. We can’t keep asking the same core group to do this every year. We need to lighten the load. And it’s one of the reasons why I stepped up and agreed to chair this year’s fair. I’m hoping there are others in the community who feel the same way.
Why is the FunFair so expensive?
It honestly hurts to hear this raised as a criticism. The FunFair strives to be an affordable weekend event that won’t break a family’s entertainment budget.
Did you know that:
It includes many FREE attractions:
- the Friday family movie night,
- Saturday morning parade,
- magician show,
- petting zoo,
- cake celebration,
- afternoon music acts
- and evening fireworks.
It includes many low cost events:
- the pancake breakfast – where else can you get a breakfast meal for under $10?
- the cheapest beer – find me another fair with lower alcohol prices
- the cheapest food – we value our partnership with longtime supporters Metro and the Optimist Club of Blackburn Hamlet who
offer hamburgers, hotdogs, fruit and simple beverages at wholesale pricing.
And it does include a few attractions like the climbing wall and main band cover charge that are pricier, yet still affordable in comparison to similar events.
I wish folks would consider these factors when looking at prices. I’ll happily compare the costs of our fair against another. We have no gate fee, we have no parking fee, and we have multiple free and low-cost attractions to keep prices affordable.
The other side of the coin is that it’s not cheap to run a fair. This year’s expenses are likely going to be over $70K and the fair needs to generate enough revenue to cover those costs. We’re feeling the inflation pinch just like you and striving to provide the best value for your dollar.
What happened to the Midway?
There is only midway operator – All Canadian Entertainment – that serves the entire eastern region of Ontario and that operator is facing revenue challenges. Our fair is small and less profitable and there are other more profitable alternatives for ACE to pursue in that first week of June. I know the community would like to see the midway return and we have made overtures to see if there is some partnership model that would work. Sadly, we have not yet found a solution.
Any local Olympians?
With this being a Summer Olympics year, the Parade organizing committee are considering an Olympic theme to this year’s parade and wondering if we have any local residents who are past, present or future Olympians in our midst who could serve as Parade Marshall…
Don’t be shy. Reach out!
What’s new at this year’s fair?
It is my hope to add a few new attractions and change a few others at this year’s fair but I’ll keep that surprise for the spring issue of the BANAR.
Final words
I invite everyone in the community to reach out to me at chair@blackburnfunfair.ca if they’d like to follow up on anything listed here. I look forward to hearing from you!