As festivals and events continue to be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, organizers of the Sooke Fall Fair are hopeful the annual exhibition will go on as planned.
The Sooke Fall Fair is scheduled Sept. 12 to 13 at Sooke Community Hall.
“The fair will happen unless someone comes along and tells us otherwise,” Ellen Lewers, the fair’s past president, said.
This year’s event theme is The Perfect Pumpkin Patch, and Lewers expects more participation than ever.
“With everyone at home busy in their gardens, and kids working on crafts, I expect this year to be a super year,” Lewers said. “I have never had so many calls from people reaching out to me about their gardens. It’s unbelievable. So it’s kind of exciting to say, ‘yes, let’s see the fair through.'”
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Lewers hopes people are using this time to get crafty, try out new recipes or bake at home, and are getting “on the ball” for the fair.
“I’m looking forward to more entries, more participation, more excitement about competing this year,” Lewers said.
She noted most of the fair is held outside, so even if social distancing measures are in place, people can adhere to them.
“The community hall is also huge, so I think we could make it work,” Lewers said, adding if the fair doesn’t happen this year, organizers will keep the same theme, catalogue and sponsors for next year. “That way anyone who sponsored this year wouldn’t have to pay next year, and anyone who creates something for this year’s theme can still enter.”
This year’s catalogue is not yet printed, so Lewers suggested people look at last year’s catalogue to see what competition categories people can enter.
“It will all be pretty much the same aside from a few additions and the change in theme,” she said.
The challenge is on for this year’s event to grow the biggest pumpkin. Cash prizes will be awarded to this year’s winners.
Entry forms can be found at Shoppers Drug Mart, or online at the Sooke Fall Fair website. To learn more about this year’s fair, please go online to www.sookefallfair.ca.
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