by Garrett Fodor
For the first time since 2019, the Annual Cottam Fall Fair and Horse Festival made its return to Ridgeview Park on Sunday.
With the final days of summer winding down, residents flocked and galloped to Cottam’s Ridgeview Park to take in the 58th annual event, enjoying the opportunity to soak in the warm weather, peruse local craft vendors, and, of course, watch horse demonstrations.
The park was filled with families exploring all the activities the grounds had to offer during the event, while having a chance to check out recent renovations done by the Town of Kingsville.
“It’s nice to see everyone back here enjoying the Fall Fair and [being] together again,” Dan Levy, President of the Cottam Rotary Club, said. “We have had more vendors, more participants. I think a lot of people missed this event and it’s good to be back. These types of events are what keep small communities together and what keeps them on the map.”
The day began with a crowd favourite, the pancake breakfast, which took place until noon, before a crowd of hundreds lined the streets to watch the parade wind through Cottam and back to the event grounds. Throughout the grounds, the free to the public fair featured pony rides, vendors selling handmade goods, and live entertainment.
“For us, this is one of the biggest – if not the biggest – fundraisers for our Rotary Club,” Levy said. “We use this money to give back to the community. We are the main support of Cottam Scouting, something that is very close to me, they did the same for me growing up. We help to give back with various improvement projects in Cottam and the Rotary Clubs are tirelessly trying to eradicate Polio.”
Levy noted that following the pause since 2019, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization tried to keep similar offerings, while providing new additions to the event as well. While they had originally planned to offer hot air balloon rides, Levy noted the weather had other plans. Still, the grounds were lined with inflatable bouncy castles, medieval displays, horseshoes, and more.
“We are extremely thankful for the community for coming out and supporting the event along with the Rotary Club this year,” Levy commented. “All of the members worked tirelessly to put together this event and the hard work shows and pays off from the enjoyment everyone had. We are excited to be back and continue to have our events once again.”
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