What happens next with the Summerland Fall Fair will depend on the support of the community.
In late May, the fair’s board of directors voted not to hold the annual fair in September, although organizers are hopeful the fair will resume in 2016.
The fair has been a part of Summerland since 1909 and over the years, it has drawn large crowds.
Its origins were as an agricultural fair and a place where the community could showcase baking, preserves, arts, crafts and more.
In recent years, the board has been in need of additional members to assist with organizing, planning and operations. Still, organizers have been able to stage a successful fair each year.
Over the past year, however, the fair has had to cope with the departure of several of its directors, further reducing the size of the board.
The low number of directors in recent years is a puzzling trend since the fair had remained a popular event.
In a community which has proclaimed its support of local agriculture, finding a team of volunteers willing to organize an agricultural celebration should not prove difficult.
Large-scale community events such as the fall fair cannot happen unless members of the community get involved in the planning and organization. There are many details involved.
A weekend festival takes many months of preparation from a committed team. This is true in years when a festival follows a set formula. It becomes even more important if there are changes to the structure of a festival or if it is returning after a one-year hiatus.
In order to have a successful fair in 2016, now is the time to arrange a board of directors to take care of the many necessary preparations.
If an adequate number of enthusiastic board members cannot be found, the conclusion is that the fair is not as important as the attendance numbers would indicate.