Western Fair: Want to get away from the midway? There’s still plenty to do

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So you’ve been on the rides, you’ve tried some of the food, and now you’re looking for other things to do to round out your trip to the Western Fair. Reporter Jack Moulton stepped away from the rides and fast food to see what else was on offer.

THE CRITTERS

Animals are always a large part of the Western Fair.

Thanks to several farm associations, such as the Beef Farmers of Ontario, Ontario Pork, and the Egg Farmers of Ontario, cows, geese, sheep, goats, and alpacas are on display. Along with the animals are displays about how respective agriculture industries work, and activities for kids.

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One such display is the “pigmobile,” which gives attendees a glimpse of some adorable piglets, while outlining the pork industry. Carly Wouters, a pig farmer based near Stratford, enjoys the chance to educate about her work.

“It’s really nice to talk to the public, be able to speak to the consumer, kind of see their point of view and just educate on farming and pigs,” she said.

THE SUMMIT

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If you’ve already been to the fair this year, you’ll know the Agriplex is now dominated by an indoor skate park, thanks to the festival within the festival, The Summit.

Aimed at celebrating urban arts and culture, professional skateboarders, BMXers, and scooter riders have been performing throughout the fair. Mural and street artists also have hosted seminars and workshops.

Several of the artists involved in the Wet Paint Initiative, a mural push in Old East Village and the Hamilton Road area, have taken part in the event.

A schedule of all remaining events can be found here.

THE BIG GUNS

Looking for your next live-action role-playing endeavor? The Canadian Forces and London’s first responders have you covered.

Also parked in the Agriplex are two enormous vehicles, a military G Wagon, and a tactical armoured patrol vehicle, open for visitors to climb into, take a picture in, or even clunk your head on — the goal is for our military to have a better presence in the community, says 1st Hussars Trooper Lauren Prentice-Jones.

“We’ve been at Masonville mall, we’re (at) the air show . . . we’re trying to get into more events,” she said. “This is not necessarily a recruiting thing, it’s a more of an attraction thing, so just to get us out and give people a chance to talk to us, ask us questions.”

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If armoured vehicles are a little too high-calibre for you, both the London police and the Middlesex-London Paramedic Services also have their vehicles on hand to check out.

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THE BIG JUMPS

A returning attraction this year are the high jumps and hi-jinks of Ride the Vibe, a B.C.-based freestyle trial show.

Sam King, one of the athletes performing in the show, says it’s a sport, scored on balance and control, in which riders navigate jumps and perform impressive tricks.

“Every time you put a foot down, you take a penalty. You crash? You take a bigger penalty. So, it’s kind of scored like golf in that sense,” he said. This is the group’s third visit to the Western Fair, after previous showings in 2019 and 2022.

King says Londoners have been “awesome,” especially as the heat dies down in the evenings. On Friday, three shows are set at 4 p.m., 6:30 p.m., and 8:30 p.m., while on Saturday and Sunday, four shows are set for 1 p.m., 4 p.m., 6 p.m., and 8:30 p.m.

DRONING ON

To cap off an evening of food, rides, music, and animals, Londoners can catch another show, but not from fireworks. Scheduled every single night of the fair at 9:30 p.m. is an animated drone show.

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MORE INFORMATION

The fair is into its closing days, running until Sunday. Gates open at 3 p.m. Friday, and at 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.

For more details, including about fair promotions, go to westernfair.ca

jmoulton@postmedia.com

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