Fonds - East Middlesex Agricultural Society fonds

In the early 1840s, small agricultural fairs were held in various parts of London; as the town expanded, larger facilities were needed. The East Middlesex Agricultural Society was formed in 1841, with a mission to organize the smaller agricultural societies and to showcase the region’s agricultural achievements. The East Middlesex Agricultural Society represented the local townships of London, Nissouri, Dorchester, and Westminster. A larger annual fair was held in London at the north-west corner of Oxford and Talbot Streets until 1868; temporary buildings were erected for these short events. Needing to expand, the society purchased land on Richmond Street, today part of Victoria Park and extending northwards, sharing some of this space with the army barracks. In 1868, members of the East Middlesex Agricultural Society and the London Horticultural and Agricultural Society collaborated to create The Western Fair Association, which was officially incorporated in 1887. Annual fairs were held at the Richmond Street site until that year, when the Association felt that it had outgrown the downtown space. The East Middlesex Agricultural Society, The City of London, and the London Horticultural and Agricultural Society reached a legal agreement with the Western Fair Association; if the city provided suitable grounds to hold the fair events, the East Middlesex Agricultural Society would join the Western Fair Association and contribute four thousand dollars toward its operating costs. With this agreement in place, the Western Fair moved to its current home on Rectory Street. The East Middlesex Agricultural Society continued operations separate from the Western Fair Association, but appointed 6 directors to the 24 member Western Fair Association board. Due to the changing nature of the use of the fairgrounds, the Western Fair Association planned to sever its ties with the East Middlesex Agricultural Society in 1939. The East Middlesex Agricultural Society, however, was entitled to be reimbursed the four thousand dollars with which it entered the Western Fair Association in 1887. Since the fairgrounds were occupied by the Department of National Defence from 1939 to 1947 for wartime activities, the Western Fair did not operate during that period, and the money to be repaid could not be raised. The Western Fair Association reimbursed the East Middlesex Agricultural Society in 1947, and the society began to wind down its affairs according to requirements set out by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture. The $4,000 was disbursed amongst the agricultural societies that were originally joined together to form the Society, namely the agricultural societies and fair associations of London Township, West Nissouri Township, Dorchester Township, and Westminster Township. The East Middlesex Agricultural Society ceased operations in 1950.

The Western Fair Association began with the amalgamation of the East Middlesex Agricultural Society and the London District Horticultural and Agricultural Society in 1867. The first annual Western Fair was held the following year in September 1868 over two days. It eventually expanded into a ten-day event. It was originally created in part for farmers to sell their produce and their families to sell other wares, but has become a much larger autumn fair and agricultural exhibit with auto shows, harness racing, midway rides and more.
The Western Fair’s exhibits often appealed to what people were interested in each year. In 1883, night exhibitions with incandescent lightbulbs were held. In 1960, a fully-stocked bomb shelter drew large crowds. In the 1930s, due to demands made by the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, the fairgrounds went “dry” and prohibited the use or sale of alcohol. The agricultural and livestock portions of the fair, which had originally made up the majority of its offerings, eventually became minimized for more urban attractions that matched the urbanization of London itself. This included the development of musical acts and concerts and an expansion of the midway rides. It had a lot of community engagement and support, especially in the beginning. Children would sometimes be let out of school early, given a day off or taken on a field trip in order to attend the fair.
The Western Fair was originally held north of Victoria Park at a site on Richmond Street but moved to Queens Park by Dundas and Rectory Street in 1887. When the fair moved, they held a contest to design the main exhibition building. The winner was George Durand, whose design was known as the Crystal Palace because it was based off the Crystal Palace in London, England. The building burnt down in 1927 and was replaced with the Confederation Building. During the Second World War, the fairgrounds were used by the Department of Military Defense as barracks and training grounds, thus shutting down the Western Fair from 1939 to 1947. It resumed in 1948 but the fairgrounds had been extremely altered and many buildings and amenities had to be rebuilt or renovated.
The Western Fair Association has had a number of presidents over the years, including James Johnston and Lieutenant Colonel William Moir Gartshore. John Huse Saunders was president of the association for 22 years, from 1922 to 1944, and is credited with many accomplishments, including his work in developing the poultry department over his fifty year-long association with the Western Fair.
The Western Fair is an important cultural, historical and financial event for the City of London as it supports a number of merchants and businesses in London and its surrounding areas, as well as its citizens. Although it began as an annual event, the Western Fair has now become a corporate entity that hosts events year-round. In June 2011, the Western Fair Association was rebranded as the Western Fair District.