Retrieved from the Book WAY BACK WHEN with permission from Ardith Racey (McKinnon)  In the early 1900's many public minded citizens of Madoc Village and township saw a need for an Agricultural  Fair in their community, and on May 30th 1905, a meeting was held to organize the Madoc Agricultural Society. The President chosen was Mr. A. F. Wood, whose law office was on South Durham Street; Mr. J. E. Orr was first  Secretary, and Mr. J. C. Dale, a village banker, the Treasurer.  The Fall Fair which they proposed was to be held on rented property on the Old Marmora Road, just west of the  C.N.R. tracks, and one-half mile south of the village in Huntingdon Township. They paid $ 100.00 rent for this  property. Mr. A. F. Wood and Mr. W. J. Allen met the Minister of Agriculture in Toronto regarding a grant for a fair in Madoc. These men were given assurance that a special grant of at least $400.00 or $500.00 would be given. The Fair  Board felt it was their duty to make the fair such a success that the government would recognize the grant as  being permanent.  The directorate felt that with a government grant of $500.00 they would go to work to secure subscriptions to  raise an additional $2,000.00 as they desired from $1,000.00 to $1,200.00 for prizes.  Later in a report it was learned that the government granted $540.00, which was very encouraging to the  organizers. As previously stated, the first meeting was held on May 30th, 1905, with further meetings held each  week or whenever the need arose.  At a June meeting it was decided to canvas for members and no difficulty was anticipated in enlisting from 60 to  90 people as members, each paying a fee of $1.00. The fair date was set for the 14th and 15th of September,  1905. The weeks preceding found volunteer workers busy leveling grounds for a race track, a tall starting stand  was erected, tents were rented to accommodate exhibitors, and open stalls were constructed for livestock.  According to the report of the Sept. 7th, 1905 meetings, $1,100.00 had been raised for prize money and the  entries were coming in well, including an expected large cheese exhibit.  The week following the fair, under the North Hastings Review headline: Madoc Fair a Big Success, were such  statements as: With attendance beyond expectations, splendid exhibits, thorough satisfaction with judging, and  well-pleased exhibitors, every department was a credit to the Community.  The admission to the grounds was 25 cents and this charge applied to members and non-members alike. The  receipts for the first day were over $100.00, and the second day between $450.00 and $500.00. There were 110  prize winners out of 128 entries, and the prize money paid out was over $6000. The horse exhibit was over 100  head, with 150 head of cattle, and nearly 500 birds in the poultry division. Ten cheese arrangements were  exhibited and special mention was made of the display of minerals. The ladies department was excellent but not  very large as they did not have sufficient time to make quilts or prepare other major projects. Mr. Arthur Pitts  displayed his ’Number II Chatham Incubator” hatching chickens by the heat supplied by coal oil. A total of 85  chicks were hatched out of this capacity 100 egg machine. Both parliamentary members attended the fair, and  there were concerts each evening which were well attended.  The success of the fair was so great that by October plans were started for the 1906 Fall Fair while features and  problems connected with the 1905 Fair were still fresh in the directors’ minds.  The District Fair, as it was called, consisted of the Townships of Madoc, Elzevir, Huntingdon, Hungerford,  Marmora and Rawdon. It was decided that the exhibitors were to be formed from within these boundaries.  In 1906, at the January meeting it was moved and recorded that the Society be called the Madoc and District  Agricultural Society. Although that was the official name and still is, Society seems to have been interchanged  with the word Association, even in the earliest reports, so perhaps the official name referred to the event and the  Association to the members who were responsible for it.  The new Madoc & District Agricultural Society included the Townships of Madoc, Elzevir, Huntingdon,  Grimsthorpe, Tudor, Cashel, Limerick, Wollaston, and the village of Madoc. The same grounds were rented for  the year of 1906 at the same price of $100.00.  In 1909 the Society decided to take up the Field Crop competition on oats, and the fee for entering was $1.00.  The government would give $30.00 to be divided into eight prizes. This competition proved to be very successful  with 29 farmers entering. The crop had to be judged standing, with two-thirds of it ripe, and judged again after  the grain was threshed.  Also in 1909, the President, Dr. W. S. Harper, was appointed to attend the Provincial Association of Fairs to be  held in Toronto.  By 1910 the exhibits exceeded those of 1909 by more than 450, and a Children’s Day and school parade were  popular new features of the first day of the Fair. The school parade was very competitive with many schools  taking part. Athletic events, shooting competitions, and other events were attractions with valuable prizes for the  high school girls and boys. A baseball tournament was organized with five teams competing.  By 1916 the Field Crop Competition, included oats, potatoes and corn ensilage.  Mr. Dennis Gillen and R. W. E. Connor acted as Secretaries during the first few years until 1913 when Mr. W. J.  Hill was appointed and held the position until his death in 1948.  In 1922 under the able leadership of President, John C. Smith, Vice-President Mr. Wm. J. Stewart and  Treasurer, Mr. Samuel Rollins, the property known as the Charles Farm was purchased from Mr. J. R. Robinson  for $3,000.00. This consisted of 49 acres north-east of the village of Madoc, which sine the #7 Highway By-pass  for the village, makes the location the area on the north-west corner at the intersection of Highway #7 and  Country Road #12.  The executive, with the assistance of a large number of horses and men, built a half-mile race track, ticket office,  secretary’s office, judge’s stand, foundations for a 60-foot by 36-foot exhibit building, a poultry building and  prepared livestock sheds. The building program was supervised by Mr. Angus Nicholson of Madoc Township.  Also in 1922, Mr. Samuel Rollins was appointed Treasurer and remained in this office for many years.  At the annual meeting in 1931 thanks were extended to Mr. And Samuel Rollins for the fine gift to the Society of  a beautiful building intended for the display and competitions of fruit, dairy products, roots and vegetables. Over  a period of many years, as a retired lumberman, Mr. Samuel Rollins gave freely of his time without  remuneration.  In the minutes of 1927 it was moved and seconded that a small ring be made on the grounds. During  succeeding years, the gate receipts and prize money increased. An unusual fact was noted in the gate receipts  of 1948-49-50, which averaged $2,644.00. There was only a difference of $2.70 between the highest and lowest  amount. In 1955 the gate receipts topped the $2,700 mark and the money paid out in prizes amounted to $2,100.  In 1961 the ladies division was organized with R. N. Broad as President and R. A. Woods as Secretary.  By 1964 the prize money had increased to the point that Society was able to qualify for a Class B category. The  government approved the new status in April 1965, which meant that for each of the three previous years, during  the Presidency of Mr. Ken Holland, the Society had paid $3,000 for straight agricultural prizes. The Class B  Category allowed the Society to receive grants from the Federal Government for other animal classes as well as  judging fees and general improvements.  In 1966 a new swine barn was built to be used also as an assembly area, for the Hog Marketing Board.  The new Arena, a great asset, was erected in 1976. In 1986 a new Bandshell was erected in honor of Francis  Tobin. A new Show Ring was constructed in 1989, and in 1990 a new Demolition Derby Ring to the south of the  Arena. The Sheep Barn was moved to its new location in 1993.  A commemorative stone was engraved and placed in a flower bed at the Main Gate Entrance to celebrate our  100th year in 2005.
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