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By Ben Tompkins

Nipawin Fair

Nipawin Exhibition returning after two-year absence

Jul 14, 2022 | 4:58 PM

For the first time since 2019, the Nipawin Exhibition will be back and in full swing.

The annual event was cancelled the previous two years due to the pandemic and COVID restrictions.

According to the Nipawin Exhibition Associations’ president, Debbie Lacheur, however, the time off has only amplified the anticipation, especially considering the uncertainty to begin 2022 and whether or not it would miss its third straight year.

“It really has people excited,” she said. “We of course didn’t find out what we were actually going to be able to do, until after the restrictions were lifted on Feb. 28. We had to kick into high gear really fast because usually, we have a year to plan and instead we had about six months.”

This year’s festivities are set to showcase a beef show, light and heavy horse shows, 3D barrel racing, chuckwagons and chariots, midway rides, food trucks, daily entertainment and more.

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Lacheur told northeastNOW the three-day fair is always huge when it comes to tourism.

“People from surrounding communities, all of our First Nation peoples and families, plan holidays to come and see relatives that are still living in Nipawin or surrounding areas and they come for a visit and come to the fair. It brings a lot of people into town for a very busy three days, we often average 10 or 11,000 people through the gate in the three days.”

This year will also feature a big 50/50 draw, with the winner being announced in September.

Lacheur said the hope is to raise enough money to fix their barn, which houses their heavy horses.

“If we can’t figure out how to pay for this, we were actually going to probably have to remove the building, which would have been heartbreaking for many people. It was built, I believe in 1940, so, you know, it’s a piece of our history.”

With 20,000 tickets available at $10 a ticket, the winner could potentially receive $100,000 if all tickets are sold by the Sept. 10 draw date.

“The other $100,000 is what it’s gonna cost us to fix the barns,” Lacheur said.

Tickets can either be purchased in advance or at the gates. Three-day passes or single-day passes are available, with prices ranging from $8-$25 and free for children five and under. Ride bracelets are also available for purchase ranging from $38-$45.

The celebration takes place July 18-20, with the grounds opening at 7 a.m. each day.

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Ben.Tompkins@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter @BenTompkins_8