District 5 Meeting Report | October 25, 2025 | Reported by the District 5 Fairs Web Team
On October 25, 2025, District 5 held its fall meeting – bringing together representatives from agricultural societies across the district to share news, celebrate our fair season, and look ahead to upcoming opportunities. We are fortunate to have Lorna as our Provincial Director for District 5. She attends annual provincial board meetings and returns to our district with the information our fairs need to stay informed, prepared, and connected. Her detailed and thorough reporting ensures we never miss what matters. Below is a full recap of her remarks from the meeting.
Administrative Reminders
- OAAS Membership Renewals – Provincial membership renewal notices have been sent out. Please check with your society’s contact to confirm yours has been received and processed.
- AssistExpo – The AssistExpo platform will be reopening soon, allowing fairs to update their information for the 2026 season. Watch for the announcement and make sure your fair’s details are up to date.
- Hall of Fame Award – The nomination deadline for the new OAAS Hall of Fame Award is October 31. This award recognizes one outstanding OAAS member per year. Every society likely has someone deserving of this recognition – download the nomination form from the OAAS provincial website before the deadline and nominate them.
Building Community Leaders Program
If you haven’t yet participated in the Building Community Leaders program, Lorna’s message was clear: why not? This two-day workshop offers practical training in leadership, governance, risk management, and community engagement – all for just $125, which includes your hotel and all meals.
Upcoming workshop dates:
- Guelph – weekend of the meeting
- Peterborough – coming up in a few weeks
- Pre-Convention Workshop – February, ahead of the annual OAAS Convention
Importantly, this program is currently running under a grant that is up for renewal – and it is not yet confirmed whether funding will continue. If you’ve been thinking about attending, now is the time to register for either the Peterborough session or the pre-convention workshop.
🔗 Building Community Leaders Program
Convention Update
Convention is shaping up to be a strong one this year. Hotel rooms filled up quickly – a good sign of the enthusiasm in our community. Highlights include:
- Keynote Speaker: Ian Hill – Ian is working with OAAS to launch a program called You Make a Difference. If successful, Ian will visit and speak in every district, with plans to cover all districts within a two-week window.
- Showcase – 19 acts have applied, promising a great lineup as always. The showcase remains one of the best opportunities for networking and discovering what other ag societies are doing in their communities.
- Fair Books – Many societies bring their fair books to the convention. It’s a fantastic way to bring home a stack of fresh ideas for your own fair.
CAFE Membership
The OAAS has decided to defer its membership in the Canadian Association of Fairs and Expositions (CAFE) at this time due to concerns about representation on the CAFE board. Members have been informed of this development.
District Terms of Reference
The updated District Terms of Reference were reviewed. Key changes include a clarification that the district is no longer structured as a board, as a board cannot operate under another board, and the district now has three representatives rather than four. All other aspects of how the district operates remain largely unchanged.
Lorna’s Fair Visits – 2025 Season Highlights
One of the most enjoyable parts of the meeting was Lorna’s recap of her travels across the province. This season, she visited 25 fairs and agricultural societies, logging an impressive 5,400 kilometres on the road – including at least 10 to 11 fairs within District 5 alone.
Fairs visited included: Schomberg, Erin, Listowel, Navin, Williamstown, the CNE, Woodstock, Wellesley, Palmerston, Mitchell, West Niagara, Aberfoyle, Norfolk County, Burford, Dorchester, Woodbridge, Aurelius, and Milton.
Some standout moments and ideas shared from the visits:
- Erin Fair celebrated its 175th anniversary with a tractor parade of 80 to 100 tractors through the streets of Erin and into the fairgrounds.
- Williamstown Fair – the oldest continuous fair in Canada – was part of an eastern Ontario road trip that also included Navin Fair.
- Palmerston turned an old gravity bin into a basketball hoop – a creative repurposing of farm equipment as a fair attraction.
- Aberfoyle celebrated its 180th anniversary and featured a University of Guelph inflatable dome planetarium where visitors experience a presentation about the universe and stars. Any fair interested in booking it can reach out for more information.
- Woodstock displayed large decorated round bales, each decorated by a different school or community group around a family fair theme.
- Dorchester Fair runs a cereal box drive that has grown into a spirited competition between local schools, with all donations going to the food bank.
- Norfolk County Fair is well known for its horse show and featured remarkable homecraft displays, including indigenous art and creative spool arrangements.
- Burford Fair offered some great junior fair ideas: making animals out of leaves, and creating landscape scenes inside a pizza box using fruits and vegetables.
- Mitchell Fair showcased a stunning building known as the Crystal Palace – built on a curve – filled with quilts and homecraft exhibits.
- Woodbridge Fair had such a wonderful energy on the day of Lorna’s visit – crowds, happy attendees, and a great community vibe. Also notable: some of the toys on display qualified as vintage antiques!
- Milton Fair – Lorna rolled up her sleeves and helped with home craft intake and teardown, getting a hands-on introduction to the fair in the process.
- CNE – Lorna serves on the CNE Board of Directors and highlighted the annual OAAS Day at the CNE, as well as efforts to expand the agricultural component of the exhibition.
Other Business
A motion regarding convention article donations was raised but tabled to new business, as a member noted the item was already included in the approved budget and required no motion.
📷 See the photo gallery of the 2025 District 5 AGM at Markham fairgrounds.
Reported by the District 5 Fairs Web Team. For more information on any of the programs or events mentioned above, visit ontarioagsocieties.com or contact your district representative.
