Valley Agricultural Festival debuts in Arnprior, Ont. following controversial name change
The Arnprior Fair is now known as the Valley Agricultural Festival. (Dylan Dyson/CTV News Ottawa)
Festival season has returned to the Ottawa Valley with the Valley Agricultural Festival making its debut in Arnprior, Ont. this weekend.
The festival, once known as the Arnprior Fair for decades, has rebranded.
"We have our traditional elements in our agriculture," says Arnprior Agricultural Society spokesperson Stacy Howard.
"We have our horse pull, we have our miniature horse show, we have our agricultural education tent."
There are a number of changes that follow the name for the first festival in town since 2019. The mid-summer attraction is now being held in the south end of Arnprior off Van Dusen Drive.
The mechanical midway is also gone, replaced by an inflatable midway.
"But it's not like your typical little bounce houses that you think of with little kids," adds Howard.
"It brings people to town so that we can showcase our downtown, so it's good news that we have an event," says county councillor Dan Lynch, who isn't a fan of the new name.
Lynch says the rebrand doesn't do a good job of advertising the town and informing festival goers of its location.
"Unfortunately, the event is called a Valley Festival. When you don't say the Arnprior Fair, that's over 100-some odd years old here, that hurts. We're no longer Arnprior, we're a valley."
Among those with fond memories of the old Arnprior Fair, opinion is split over the name change.
"We used to live on Arthur Street, so where the fairground was. We'd be there every season," says Arnprior resident Mike Reid.
"Should have probably called it something to do with the Arnprior Agricultural Society. Made that more up front."
"I was a beekeeper," says Hugh Montgomery, who has lived in the area over 30 years. "We had a 100-acre farm on Galetta Side Road, so I'm all good with that. I prefer it being an agricultural fair."
The festival runs until Sunday. Admission is $15 for kids and $20 for adults on Friday, upping to $20 for kids and $25 for adults Saturday and Sunday.
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