“New Beginnings” is the theme for the Burford Agricultural Society board

The horse show is one of the highlights of the fair, but the Burford Saddle Club also holds monthly competitions at the fairgrounds.

By Lisa Wright

One of the most significant “New Beginnings” for the Burford Agricultural Society (BAS) is the change of dates for the Burford Fair.

Traditionally held on Thanksgiving weekend, moving forward the fair will be held the weekend before Thanksgiving, which will be October 2-4 this year. But the BAS isn’t just about the fair, year-round this group and its board focuses on promoting Burford, engaging local citizens and increasing agricultural awareness while maintaining and managing the 22 acres of land and infrastructure, commonly known as the Burford Fairgrounds.

The BAS has a new, first-time president, Lucas Eby. He brings youthful energy and ideas, combined with generations of local agricultural and business experience to the role. From an early start in 4-H and successfully showing dairy cattle, to competitive plowing, obtaining an associate diploma in agriculture and operating local LJ Recycling, Lucas has a strong vision for the fairgrounds and the BAS. Dedicated community involvement, increased use of the fairgrounds, improvements to the facilities and grounds, education about agriculture, community pride, hosting agricultural events and pride in being on the board of the BAS feature among his goals in this role and he is passionate about achieving them. Lucas welcomes community feedback and ideas and can be reached at president@burfordfair.com

A new website has launched – burfordfair.com - complete with fairgrounds rental information, online availability and booking, and a calendar of all the happenings at the fairgrounds throughout the year. Whether planning an event requiring indoor or outdoor space or looking for something fun or educational to do with family or friends, the new website has everything in one place.

Another exciting “New Beginning” is the move of the Truck Ride for Special Olympics to Burford. Come admire up close the 60-plus expected big trucks of all types, washed and polished for the occasion. Watch them pull out onto their route with police escorts and cheer the Special Olympics athletes on board.

Last year the Woodstock Truck Show and Concerts relocated to Burford, setting a new record of $100,000.00 raised for charities. The organizers were very impressed with local Burford support and are back again this year. This is the only Canadian qualifier for the national championships in Atlanta, Georgia and offers an exciting weekend of custom trucks and evening concerts. Wienerfest, celebrating everything Dachshund or Wiener Dog, also returns to Burford after a successful move here in 2025. Proceeds from this weekend fund animal rescue.

Charity events like these don’t happen without tremendous community involvement. One of the goals of the new BAS president is to increase this. From a warm welcome to event organizers and visitors to local business advertising and support, everyone can help. Volunteers are always needed and welcome. Commitment can be as little as a few hours during the fair or a BAS event or as much as you would like. Consider joining the BAS. It’s a great way to give back to the community, meet some new people and, as a bonus, BAS members get free fair admission!

Just finishing a second winter season is the very popular cornhole league. Organized by the BAS, 34 teams of two people gather in the Agricultural Hall Wednesday evenings for friendly competition in a casual, family party atmosphere and enjoy complimentary snacks with beverages available for purchase. Now offering fall, winter and spring sessions, registration fills up very quickly and there is always a waiting list. These evenings have opened the door for quite a few players to become new BAS volunteers and members. For more information, please contact burfordcornhole@gmail.com.

For local teens and young adults, the BAS hosts a competition to select both a Junior (age 14-16) and Senior (age 17-24) Ambassador. It will be held this year on June 11 at 7p.m.. Ambassadors promote agricultural awareness, participate in parades, hand out prizes at the fair and represent their agricultural society at the OAAS Convention each February. This is a valuable opportunity to earn volunteer hours, learn from mentors, meet like-minded young people from across the province and potentially even earn bursaries. Simply email burfordambassador@gmail.com for details and application requirements.

Tammy Johannes has been on the BAS board for three years and is second vice president again for 2026. Tammy is a local Certified Equine Massage Therapist and joined the BAS to be more involved locally and to provide more opportunities for the horse community in Brant County. She has been instrumental behind launching the Paddock Party. This annual event attracts people from all over Ontario and features vendors, a tack swap and sale and clinics with TV celebrities Jason and Bronwyn Irwin from The Horse Trainers, which airs on both RFD-TV and The Cowboy Channel in Canada.

The Burford Saddle Club holds competitions monthly at the Fairgrounds from May to September with a variety of classes for all ages and levels of horsemanship. In October, the Burford Fair Horse Show offers obstacle class competitions for everyone, from the smallest child or miniature horse to seasoned professionals.

One of the lesser-known annual events at the Burford Fairgrounds is Bite of Brant. Over a thousand Grade 5 students and their teachers from across Brant County attend each year to learn about local farming and agri-food production. Presentations at numerous stations cover topics such as agricultural products of the region, how these products are converted to food, ways to maintain soil quality, careers in agriculture and the variety of equipment used to produce what we eat. It gives real meaning to the term “farm to table” by directly connecting students with food producers. Again, it is thanks to many volunteers that these students get this opportunity.

Join the “New Beginnings” at the Burford Agricultural Society. Get involved, bookmark the website, attend events at the fairgrounds, invite friends, volunteer to help out in any way, be proud of your community and region! 