2025 Woodstock Fair won’t have midway

The Woodstock Fair will have a different look this year as Campbell Amusements has pulled its midway from the event. (File Photo)

Lee Griffi, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

While a fair doesn’t seem like a fair without a midway, the Woodstock Agricultural Society will carry on with the 2025 version of the event without the rides area residents are used to seeing.

“Unfortunately, it is true that we will no longer be able to provide the midway for the Woodstock Fair going forward. This has nothing to do with the Woodstock Ag Society or their members, but everything to do with rising costs and limited resources during that time in our schedule,” said a statement from Campbell Amusements.

“After the COVID-19 pandemic, which hit our industry particularly hard, the company restructured to one unit instead of two. This makes it very difficult to set up in multiple locations at once, which is something we had to do to provide the fair for Woodstock. The public feedback we received from our last few years, as well as decreased attendance and rising costs, led us to the decision to remove the stop from our route,” it added.

“We were really shocked,” said society president Casee Killing. “We received an email, I think it was January 16, letting us know they are no longer able to participate in our fair this year.

There had been no prior communication and the last time we had talked to them was at last year’s fair, and they had no concerns at that point. They didn’t even warn us this might be an issue.”

Killing added she was told by the Brantford-based company that over the past few years it was hard for them to put on the type of show they wanted to.

“They overextended themselves as that week they are at the Barrie fair and send rides to the Canadian National Exhibition. So, we were getting their B-rides and they were renting some to bring us because they just didn’t have enough. During COVID, they sold a lot of them, so they have fewer rides now.”

Killing added Campbell Amusements also expressed concern about changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) allows Canadian employers to hire foreign nationals to fill labour shortages when no Canadian citizens or permanent residents are available.

“They were worried about having enough workers to safely run the rides.”

Campbell’s statement to the Echo backs up Killing’s claim.

“It is also unknown if we will be able to participate in the foreign worker program due to recent changes affecting our industry. This will severely limit our ability to safely provide for multiple locations.”

Killing explained the organization reached out to several other midway companies, but they were all booked from August 21 to 24. She added she the search for a new provider was a learning experience.

“There really aren’t many midways left. We thought it would be an easy process to find a new one but figured out quickly that wasn’t the case. Danny from Campbell’s actually tried to help us find another one but everyone was pretty much booked. They have long-standing contracts.”

She explained they haven’t stopped looking for a replacement for this year and 2026 but added the prospect of providing rides for the kids this year is bleak. Despite that, Killing said there are plenty of attractions to provide a good time for people of all ages.

“We are bringing back many of our regular events. The demolition derby and tractor pull are continuing and Old McDonald’s Barn, where we connect the urban community to the rural community and get up close and personal with some farm animals.”

The event will also feature a petting zoo, a family-friendly train ride, a variety of inflatables, car show and Soper Creek Animal Rescue, a wildlife rehabilitation hospital licensed by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry and Canadian Wildlife Services. Its mission is to rescue, treat and release sick, injured, orphaned and abandoned native wildlife.

The fair’s theme for 2025 is ‘A Family A’Fair’, and Killing added they are still in search of volunteers and anyone interested will be able to sign up online at https://www.woodstockfairgrounds.com. A link will also be posted on the organization’s Facebook page.

“We are kind of in a generation now where we don’t like to make phone calls and like to sign up for appointments without having to talk to someone, so we are going to roll out where people can pick a day and time to volunteer. We want them to enjoy their volunteer experience and we think this will help.

As usual, admission for all ages to the fair will be free.

Campbell Amusements added it was a tough decision to pull out of the Woodstock Fair.

“The Woodstock Fair and the community have been a part of our company history for the last 50 years, and it was a very difficult decision to make. We thank the fair board and the community for their years of support. We have made sure to let the fair board know that we would be open to returning in the future if anything changes,” explained the company.