By any measure, the 2024 Picton Fair was a success.

Exhibitors? The Fair Board reports 125 first-time entrants populated every category, from fruits and vegetables, to home crafts, art, and quilting.

Attendance? In spite of a shower late Friday afternoon, over 10,000 people turned up to support a community fair that’s been in operation since 1836.

Participants? The Agricultural Society was over the moon at the number of businesses and groups that supported this year’s three-day celebration of all things Prince Edward County.

“We were very happy with the support and attendance throughout the weekend. The rain shower really had no effect on our attendance — it came and went at the right time,” said the Fair Board’s Tina Hiddink.

Ms. Hiddink said the drastic increase in exhibitors at the 186 Picton Fair was due in large part to the annual Fair Book coming to every mailbox in Prince Edward County in the July 10 Picton Gazette.

“In every category we had more exhibitors — particularity from the north end of the County,” Ms. Hiddink said. “The art entries were more than double in 2023. There were a lot more flower arrangements. It was all very positive.”

Ms. Hiddink added she and board members received glowing comments about the midway, the animal shows and masses of vendors both inside the arena and along the walkways.

“The live events at the Crystal Palace Friday and Saturday were popular and we even hosted a vendor fair on Sunday that saw a lot of foot traffic,” she said. “The demolition derby is always popular and having Boyer Auto Group present a $4,000 purse really attracted the drivers.”

The 15^th annual Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital Bake Off raised $14,600 for our local hospital. The highlight of the morning was Ken Morton of Deerhaven Farms’s bid of $2,600 on Shirley Armitage’s best-in-show Wild Apple Pie.

While meteorological records might indicate otherwise, it seems it was a particularly cold winter in Prince Edward County to judge by the increase in participants in the annual baby show. 2024’s best bouncing bundle of joy as judged by the this year’s fastidious panel was Picton’s Jhett Wikkerink, who, it must be acknowledged, is completely perfect in every way. Of course, so were all the other babies, but one had to win.

The Fair’s annual art competition sponsored by Heidelberg Materials was popular and, at the end of the judging, Cherry Valley’s Donna Walski and her piece “The Crystal Palace, Picton Fair (Circa 1910)” won her the 2024 Artist of the Year. Ms. Walski painted a candid still photo in the County Archives of a man looking at the camera with the Crystal Palace and horse-drawn buggies in the background.

“I saw this photo and I became obsessed with this frame in time. I had to come to the Crystal Palace quite a number of times to really focus on the building, then I’d run home and paint a little more,” said Ms. Walski. “I’m very honoured and blessed to win this award.”

The Picton Gazette sponsored a pair of awards for the annual photography exhibition. Janyce Mann was the top photographer in 2024 based on her collage of scenes from the 2023, fair while Jackson Martin had the best photo this year. Mr. Martin’s effort captured a young bull rider.  

And finally, the Demolition Derby was all you could ever ask for: a packed and very loud, very satisfying smash up, with everything in the end unable to move, the “winner” the last one to capitulate.