Bev Fry of Ripley honoured for service as OAAS homecraft president in 2000

Bev Fry of Ripley has been honoured for her contributions as Ontario Association of Agricultural Societies (OAAS) homecraft president in the year 2000.

The presentation was made at the OAAS convention, Feb. 16-18, in Toronto, by William Morris, Fry's co-president that year.

"It is indeed a great pleasure for me to be able to join you this afternoon as your Year 2000 agricultural president for the celebration and recognition of the contributions of honorary homecraft president Bev Fry," said Morris.

Fry first joined the OAAS board as the homecraft representative on behalf of District 10 in 1995. While she served on many committees during her tenure, her first love and commitment was to the homecraft lifestyle with Ontario’s fairs.

"Her sincerity, dedication and professionalism could not be rivalled," said Morris. "In 1998, she began her journey through the executive positions of the OAAS homecraft division before serving as the homecraft president in 2000.

"The Year 2000 was an exciting and challenging time for the Ontario fair industry. As we celebrated the 100th anniversary of the OAAS and the beginning of a new millennium, the industry found itself being challenged with a potential threat of changes to the infamous Bill 66: The Agricultural and Horticultural Societies Act. The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) was reviewing the method in which our 234 societies were incorporated, their tax exemption status and the annual grant program. Along with our executive, Bev (Fry) committed several long days to meetings with ministry staff in Guelph as we showcased the integral role the agricultural fairs played in Ontario’s profile. At the end of the process, our programs remain unchanged: time for true celebration and recognition of the thousands of fair volunteers."

Under Fry's direction in 2000, the homecraft executive published a manual entitled, “Organizing a Judging School,” which assisted the directors in providing a unified approach for judging homecraft exhibits across the province. Thanks to funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, work also began on updating the homecraft and agricultural judging standards booklets with accompanying VHS videotapes.

Special funding was also received from Agricultural Canada through a rural initiative to support the speaker and educational program at the 2001 convention. A contest was held among the fairs to design a new logo as the OAAS moved forward in the new millennium. And during 2000, the OAAS purchased its first computer through the Volnet program.

"Yet with all of the business of the society going on, we could always rely on Bev (Fry) to ensure that homecraft concerns remained on everyone’s agenda," said Morris. "During our year, we tried an experiment of having the agricultural directors join their homecraft counterparts at a homecraft meeting. From those meetings, I will always remember the importance of the uniformity of chocolate chip cookies and the pros/cons of adding raisons to butter tarts."

With the slogan of “Ontario Fairs: Pride of the Century,” the year’s successes were culminated at the OAAS convention.

"This very room was beautifully decorated with streamers, green and white balloons and teddy bears as both the Ripley and Delta Agricultural Societies hosted the presidents’ reception for almost 1,400 delegates," said Morris. "During the reception, the fair ambassadors of the day sang Ontario’s unofficial anthem 'A Place to Stand and A Place to Grow,' the party band 'Ambush' entertained the delegates and Lois Hunter of the Lombardy Agricultural Society was recognized as the honorary homecraft president, 1981.

"We all have those special memories from the Year 2000. It was a wonderful experience. As I went through the Year 2000 annual report, I noted that Bev (Fry) summarized her presidential message by stating, 'What counts is not the number of hours you put in, but how much you put into your hours.'

"On behalf of the fairs of today and those of yesteryear, thank you Bev (Fry) for your time, efforts, dedication and friendship. Congratulations upon being recognized as this year’s honorary homecraft president."

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With strong support from MPPs, local municipalities, midway and service providers, the societies were finally acknowledged for the significant contributions made to their communities in regards to agriculture awareness, tourism and economic development.

"It was a welcome relief when we were told that the Act would remain intact and that societies would continue to enjoy the property tax exemption and annual grants," said Fry.

"On a brighter note, that year, the OAAS board launched its first website. Proudly bringing our fairs on-line was an important marketing tool. Just a few clicks with the computer mouse brought your fair into someone’s home. Seems like yesterday.

"As part of my duties as OAAS homecraft president, I attended the CAFÉ (Canadian Association of Fairs and Exhibitions) convention. It was an opportunity to share ideas and meet new people and discuss industry challenges. During a conversation with Western Fair delegates, I was able to secure a donation to the OAAS ambassador program at the convention.

"It seemed rather easy getting that donation, so I proposed the idea of a partnership program at our next board meeting. It was one of those time - if you didn’t want to do the job, you shouldn’t bring it up. The idea was important to me and with the help of Shelley Jones Stratton, we were able to develop the details and levels of sponsorship to establish the OAAS partnership program."

Fry said her year included plenty of weekend road trips with a lot of incredible experiences.

"One of my fondest memories was learning about fair feet," she said. "What? You haven’t heard of fair feet? At Blackstock Fair on a hot summer day, I met a wonderful little girl who was struggling with health issues at the time. She was so excited about all the fair had to offer. As we chatted, she told me that I had fair feet. Imagine my shock – I didn’t even know what fair feet were. She went on and on about everyone having fair feet today.

"I didn’t want to sound stupid, but I finally got up the courage to ask what fair feet were. The explanation was simple: If you wear sandals to the fair, and walk around to see EVERYTHING, and then you take your sandals off, there will be lines on your feet from the sand and from the straps of your sandals – that’s FAIR FEET.

"Those are memories you treasure and you realize how important fairs are to the young and the not-so-young too. My husband, Joe, and I now have nine grandchildren, ranging in age from 19 months to 13 years. Teaching them about Ontario fair is something we enjoy doing now. They exhibit, show 4-H calves and the girls are already talking about being an ambassador, following in the footsteps of their mom and their aunt.

"Your Fair is a very important part of your family and your community. Be proud of your successes, share your enthusiasm and foster new ideas/members.

"It was truly an honour for me to serve on the OAAS board and as the president of the OAAS homecraft in 2000 and I’d like to wish everyone a successful 2017 fair season, and many more to come in the future!"

Also attending the convention, were fall fair ambassadors from across the province, proudly representing their agricultural societies.

Locally, those included Kincardine ambassador Delage Mowle, Tiverton ambassador Rylee Evans, Ripley ambassador Bethany Wilken, and Lucknow ambassador Sarah Alton.



District 10 fall fair ambassadors, including Kincardine's Delage Mowle (back, second from left), Lucknow's Sarah Alton (back, third from left), Ripley's Bethany Wilken (back, third from left), and Tiverton's Rylee Evans (front, second from right)



Fall fair ambassadors from across the province; photos courtesy of the OAAS