WIIITBY FREE PRESSWEDNESDAY,JULY 24, 1985. PAGE Il Troubled fair beginning to build for the future By JAN DODGE Free Press Staff The Oshawa-Whitby Fair bas had a long and sometimes troubled history, but after a period of adjustment it is beginning to build on- ce more, according to Laurie McCullough, past president of the South Ontario Agricultural Society, the sponsor of the fair. McCullough, from R.R.1, Whitby, has been connected with the fair officially since 1960; unofficially, since he was a kid who used to spend "a big day at the fair." He can remember "being clipped by a car- ny man the first time I worked at the fair," and crawling under the holes in the fence around the fairground. "When I became a director I knew where all the holes were and I plugged them up." Problems between the City of Oshawa and the Ajax bridge club scores The following are the results of last week's play at the Ajax Bridge Club as reported by Dwight Oland. In the open section (average 156): North and South: Joanne Marden and Truman Tuck, 182.5; Jack Findlay and Grant Andrews, 179; Russ and Doris Lee, 177; Bill Baker and Frank Wu, 173.5; Paul Gauthier and Sean Finan, 167; and, Lynne Stockfish and Phyllis Kelly, 161. East and West: Avenel Silgailis and Elsie Chambers, 208.5; Jack Stafford and Evelyn Black, 182; Mike Norman and Irv Ashraf, 181; John Cook and Otto Winninger, 177.5; W.J. Walter and Rene Niglis, 173.5; and, Peter and Barbara Jones, 158. In the novice section (average 31.5): Chris Adair and Ted Zahn, 39; Lillian Parlette and Vera MacKay, 37.5; and, Betty Kroetsch and Erica Jarchow, 36.5. The club will hold a handicapped game on July 30 at the St. An- drews Community Cen- tre, 45 Exeter Rd., Ajax beginning at7:30 p.m. Anyone interested in joining should call Oland at 683-5773. The results of each week's play at the club will be reported in the following issue of the Whitby Free Press. LET'S SEEYOU DO IT... OUTDOORS! PaRlrPaTIunJ. agriculture society which ran the fair -at Alexandra Park were building all through the '60's. The society was constantly being badgered about the state of the buildings on the site, yet the city would not issue a permit to allow renovation so surface repairs and painting were all that could be done, Mc- Cullough said. After 1974, with pressure from the neighbors (the hospital, the golf course, and residents) the town refused to grant a licen- se to operate. James Potticary was mayor at that time. It was, ironically, in 1974, that the fair had its best year, with a gate of 35,000 to 40,000. "Conklin Shows gave us an award for being the most progressive fair that they played in the whole province," Mc- Cullough said. The eviction from the fairgrounds was something that the original directors of the agricultural society did not evision because they believed the society and Oshawa were dual owners. The reason for this belief goes back to the time when the town of Oshawa and the Oshawa Athletic Society were dual owners, Mc- Cullough said. The athletic society disban- ded and gave the direc- tors of the agricultural society letters of intent that they would own the land formerly held by the athletic society. During the years that followed, with the town and the agricultural society sharing the facilities and working together, these letters were misplaced. Con- sequently, there remained no proof of ownership, McCullough said. With the loss of its fairgrounds, the fair had nowhere to go so it was suspended until 1977 when it was held in Brooklin. "That was a disaster," McCullough said. "It rained the whole four days." With the suspension of the fair there was a break in tradition and a decreased gate. "We are creatures of habit," McCullough said. "We return to our place of hap- piness...With the fair moving some people might come the first year to see how it was making out at its new site, but it's not the place of happiness they remember." In 1978, the agricultural society purchased their new site on Garrard Road. This purchase brought the fair back to Whitby again where it had begun as a model fair for the province, organized by the agricultural society. From 1914 to 1917 it had operated "near where the Tourist In- formation Centre is now," he said. "Heber Down was in- volved with moving some of the buildings from Whitby to the Oshawa site." Unfortunately, when they moved from Oshawa to the Whitby location they had to leave all their buildings behind. This included a horticultural building (only recently demolished) three large exhibit halls, a sheep hall, a racehosre barn, another large barn built in 1948, and a gazebo CAL lS ,,, 63 96 and grandstand both of which had been donated by R.S. McLaughlin to the town and the fair, during earlier friendlier times. During the time Christine Thomas was mayor (prior to Pot- ticary) council invited suggestions for relocation. The town made a number of suggestions, including a site across from the Civic Auditorium, but the preferred site by the Agricultural Society was located on the Oshawa side of the Camp X (war- time) property. In 1971, as chairman of the relocation com- mittee for the society, Walter Beath ordered a $9,000 study (paid for by the society) from Searle, Wilbee and Rowland. They proposed a year- round multiple use exhibition and recreation complex in- cluding a marina to be completed in a four- phase program, Mc- Cullough said. "We got bad media coverage," he said. "It was presented as spen- ding $1 million of tax- payers money...there would have been a lot of funding at the provin- cial and federal level through the agricultural society." What kind of town support is there for the fair today? Ialeen Crawford, secretary treasurer of the agricultural society said, "Oshawa and Whitby give no funds to the fair. We couldn't get the fair. We couldn't even get the mayors to officially open it." Crawford said Oshawa Mayor Alan Pilkey was unable to come, so he sent Reg. Coun. Cy Elsie. The fair board never heard from Whitby Mayor Bob At- tersley so they contac- ted Reg. Coun. Gerry Emm who assisted. One of the main disadvantages with the new site has been the lack of permanent buildings. On the plus side, McCullough said there is lots of space and "We have the safest site for the demolition derby in the province. "Certainly the fair is building; its following will grow." This year the weather was good. The fair board was hoping for increased gate receipts to pay off more of their mortgage. That way they at least wouldn't have to con- tend with "For Sale" signs on the fair proper- ty, which their mor- tgage holder puts up each year. 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