Mother Nature rains on Emo Fair

Only the brave attended outside events during much of the Rainy River Valley Agricultural Society’s Fall Fair in Emo last weekend, with many being cancelled or postponed due to the high winds, heavy rains, and muddy grounds.
Organizers could only watch the skies in disappointment.
The parade, horse show, and rides were cancelled or postponed at one point or another. Select Shows midway even extended their stay by a day in the hopes of recouping their losses.
But some businesses had profits from unexpected places. Meyers Clothing and the Corner Closet were selling lots of raincoats.
“We opened at 8:30 a.m. and had sold out of umbrellas by nine,” Corner Closet co-owner Colleen Vennechenko said Saturday.
Many food booths had added hot chocolate to their menus by Saturday.
“We sold four times as much coffee as we usually do,” said 4-H booth volunteer Wilma Sletmoen, noting they also sold more corn and hotdogs than usual but that sales still were lower than last year.
The Farm Progress Building also benefited from the poor weather as the crowds sought refuge inside.
“The Farm Progress was quite packed,” said Betty Salchert, who was manning the Ontario Federation of Agriculture booth, adding it almost became too crowded at some points.
The stock car races were cancelled halfway through on Friday night, with the feature races for all three divisions slated to go this Saturday night at the Emo Speedway.
As the weather worsened, so did attendance. By Saturday afternoon, the fairgrounds were almost empty. The Grandstand Jam/Platinum Blonde concert that night only sold 300 tickets.
But those who attended were enthusiastic. Contestants in the first-annual Grandstand Jam were judged on vocal ability, stage presence, audience participation, and overall presentation.
Jessica Whalen topped the eight-13 age category, with Kayla Lauzon second and Heather Williams third. Winning the 14-19 division was Sarah Hebert, followed by Cara Coran and Katriina Maki.
Local band “Thinking of Pinky” backed the all-female roster of contestants.