This summer season is certainly passing by quickly, but then summers tend to do that. We are already through the first week of August, which means that in just a few weeks the Labour Day long weekend will be upon us, marking the unofficial end to summer fun, as just a few weeks after Labour Day, autumn arrives.
Thus far, this summer has been a warm one, though we have certainly endured warmer summers, but the high temperatures combined with the humidity and with the heavy air thanks to northern forest fires has certainly made this summer less comfortable than some. That said, it hasn’t stopped us from enjoying some time outdoors fishing, golfing, or simply enjoying a stroll on a trail. It also didn’t stop large crowds attending last weekend’s Summerfest events.
In just a few short weeks Labour Day will be here, and then the kids will be back to school, our local council will be back in the council chamber, and the summer fun will fade into autumn before we are caught in the frigid grip of winter.
Before we say goodbye to summer, there are still backyard barbeques to enjoy, and family bicycle rides to take, and softball games to be played. We will also have another big event to celebrate, the 168th Meaford & St. Vincent Fall Fair, which takes place during the Labour Day long weekend on Saturday, August 30.
I have always enjoyed fall fairs, and given that we live in a rural farming community, the annual fall fair has long been a major event on the calendar.
The Fall Fair was one of the first community events I attended after moving to Meaford 20 years ago, and it was a great way to gain an appreciation for the rich agricultural heritage that surrounds us in the Municipality of Meaford. It was also a fabulous opportunity to talk to my sons, then elementary school students, about where our food comes from, and the hard work that is required to get that food from the field to the table.
In this era of smartphones, video games, and Tik Tok, it can be a challenge to capture the imagination of youngsters, but it is not impossible to get them to set those precious devices aside in order to have some old-fashioned family fun.
The Fall Fair is a celebration of not just our agricultural heritage, but our agricultural present, and it provides a small snapshot into our agricultural future. From livestock to produce, the Fall Fair captures the agricultural activity in our area, and while that level of activity is impressive, as I have written in the past, the average age of our farmers is inching ever higher, and there has long been a concern about who will replace them.
Farming might not be a sexy profession by today’s standards but it is a crucial profession, and unless we are willing to watch large factory farms take over all of the production of our food, or for China to become our primary source of food, we need to find ways to make smaller scale farming more appealing (and viable), and we need to be training a new generation of farmers. I am always hopeful when I see families enjoying a day at the Fall Fair that some of the youngsters might one day decide to go into the business of growing or raising food, and that visits to fall fairs might help them to make such a decision.
A visit to our local farmers’ market always offers some hope, as many vendors over the years have been young, ambitious, enthusiastic folks determined to make farming, even if on a small scale, a part of their future.
We often hear the suggestion that today’s youth should consider a future in the trades, and I gave that advice to my own children; today my youngest is a few years into a plumber’s apprenticeship. As much as we should encourage students to consider the trades, we should also encourage them to consider a future in agriculture if we want any hope of continuing to build upon our agricultural heritage in the decades to come, and to keep as much of our food production as possible close to home.
But back to summer, or what’s left of it, I suppose. With three full weeks before the Labour Day long weekend arrives there is still plenty of summer fun to be had. From Friday afternoon visits to the farmers’ market, to enjoying some time exploring the river, to seeking the shade provided by the trees on our many hiking trails, there is plenty to enjoy and explore.
Some of the best summer fun can be found by doing very little. Leafing through a book at the beach while watching sailboats gliding across the bay can be relaxing indeed.
For these final weeks of summer I will enjoy hearing lawn mowers on Saturday mornings, and the sight of school-aged kids riding past on bicycles with big smiles on their faces. And I will, no doubt, complain about the heat, and the humidity, and I will long for the cool air of autumn knowing that by January I will complain about the cold and the snow and will long for the warm air of summer.
So get out and enjoy what’s left of this summer season. Visit the farmers’ market, take a day trip to the Grey Roots Museum, or enjoy a family barbeque in the backyard, because it won’t be long before the kids are back in school, summer vacations are over, and scarecrows start appearing throughout town as the leaves begin to turn colour before falling to the ground as winter approaches.
Whatever you do to enjoy the remainder of summer, have fun, but be safe. And if part of your summer fun includes enjoying some adult beverages, don’t get behind the wheel, let someone else do the driving, as far too many have had their summers ruined as a result of someone driving after consuming too much alcohol.
