The Western Fair is an agricultural fair held annually in London, Ontario, Canada in early September. The first Western Fair was held in September 1868 in downtown London, northeast of the current location of Victoria Park. Organizers had hoped to use the Crystal Palace Barracks as the main exhibition area. Livestock shows took place on the parade grounds outsite the Crystal Palace.

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History

In 1887, when the fair gained legal status through the Provincial Charter and Act of Incorporation, it moved to 316 Rectory Street in east London, where the fairgrounds remain today. The present Fair Grounds were purchased for $65,000. Except for an eight-year period between 1939 and 1947 when the Canadian Department of National Defence occupied the grounds, the Western Fair has operated on the new site.

John Huse Saunders was President of the Western Fair Association (WFA) for 22 years. He devoted more than 50 years to the Western Fair and was known throughout North America as a poultry breeder. After receiving Honorary Presidential status the WFA changed the by-laws and limited the term to three years.

Facilities

The Western Fairgrounds are open all year. Apart from the fair itself, the Western Fair Raceway, slot machines, former Western Fair Museum and Archives (closed in 2005), an agricultural complex and a former IMAX theatre are located there.

Raceway and slot machines

London's primary standardbred horse racing facility is the Western Fair Raceway. A slot machine facility on the site was opened to the public on 28 September 1999, as authorised by the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation. As of April 2008, the facility contained 750 slot machines and has seen 9.4 million people, supported by a $15 million staff budget. ^{[1] [2]}

Museum and Archives

The site hosted the Western Fair Museum and Archives which was established in 1997. This operation closed in 2005.

IMAX theatre

An IMAX film theatre was situated at the Western Fair site for nine years, closing on 30 November 2005, due to low attendance (an average of 100,000 patrons per year). It was leased by Dale Henderson, a retired engineer and former leader of the Stardust Orchestra, who intends to open the London City Music Theatre in October 2007, after renovations.

References

1. Western Fair Raceway at OLG Slots
2. Betting on success