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Chilliwack Fair moves to digital arena due to coronavirus

Agricultural Society embracing technology to keep 148-year-old fair alive
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Pig races at the 147th annual Chilliwack Fair. They likely won’t be a part of this year’s fair, as it moves online, but the Ag Society is working on keeping some portions of the annual fair alive and well via technology. (Jenna Hauck/ Progress file)

There won’t be that undeniable farm smell, but the Chilliwack Fair will take place this summer, at least in part.

The Chilliwack & District Agricultural Society announced on Friday afternoon that they will be keeping their 148-years of history going strong with a virtual version of the popular event. The Chilliwack Fair had been planned for Aug. 7-9, but the society has “made the difficult decision that the 148th Annual Chilliwack Fair will not happen as originally planned.”

But with that thought of the history and roots of the fair, they are also looking to the future and how we adapt as a community.

READ MORE: B.C. schools Zoom to online education amid COVID-19

“We believe that in these difficult and unprecedented times we need to come together as a community, even if it is in different ways now,” they said. “We hope that our event can continue to bring families together to create in traditional and new ways.”

They say they are in the early stages of figuring out how to bring the virtual format to life, and will be updating everyone via their social media pages. There is also a newsletter signup available on their webiste, www.chilliwackfair.com. They did not provide any initial examples of how the fair would roll out, but the fair includes 4H displays, which are already being held online by many clubs, and a large exhibition with community submissions of flower displays, artwork, crafts and more.

“Thank you for all of your support in the past and moving forward,” they said in the release. “We take the safety of the public, our Board, volunteers, staff and all those involved in producing an event such as ours very seriously.”

READ MORE: Chilliwack Fair is growing but so is the presence of urban animal rights activists


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Jessica Peters

About the Author: Jessica Peters

I began my career in 1999, covering communities across the Fraser Valley ever since.
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