70 years of tradition for Ninette Fair
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/06/2025 (286 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
NINETTE — Volunteers are bringing new scheduled events to the Ninette Fair this weekend as they support the annual tradition many have celebrated since childhood.
Organizer Bryan Podworny told the Sun on Friday that one of today’s new events is the Ag Olympics. It will include competitions like pounding a fence post in, backing a trailer through obstacles and pulling a lawn tractor to win cash payouts.
Podworny said it’s one of several events he’s happy to see this year as the fair celebrates its 70th anniversary. When asked why he contributes, he said it’s to keep the heartbeat of the community alive.
Ninette Fair volunteers Blair Rankin, Eva Miller, Bryan Podworny and Leanne Treloar are at the fairgrounds on Friday afternoon, setting up equipment for the two-day event that started hours later. The group leans on a pen brought in from Rankin’s farm that will be used for the 4-H cattle show in the fair. (Connor McDowell/The Brandon Sun)
“I love small towns,” said Podworny. “Small towns are going to start disappearing without events like this. They will just start to go away.”
The fair helps local businesses by attracting people from about 60 miles in all directions, he said. Volunteers told the Sun that about 700 to 800 people attended last year.
Part of the Pelican Lake Agricultural Society that is hosting the event, volunteer Leanne Treloar told the Sun that her ties go back to when she was a girl. She remembers the talk of the town circled around a showcasing event.
“If your scrapbook was chosen for the fair, it was a big deal,” said Treloar. “Growing up, the Ninette Fair was the event of the summer.”
Explaining her motivation to volunteer, she said it’s a great feeling to be part of the event and to keep it going for next year. Treloar and other volunteers spoke to the Sun in the early afternoon while setting up the grounds.
The event was set to start at 4 p.m.
A pen has been set up to host a cattle show, a banquet tent has been erected at the fair grounds for indoor music, and other pen areas have been set up for horse competitions and more.
The schedule of events for today includes a pancake breakfast to start the day at 8 a.m., light horse competitions, a kids bike decorating contest, a farmers’ market, a parade, bouncy castles, a youth cattle show, live music and a car show.
There are roughly 30 head of cattle scheduled this year for the youth cattle show.
Volunteer Eva Miller told the Sun she invests time and energy because of long-standing ties. Her memories go back to 1961, when the fair was the best thing for a young kid.
“I grew up here. And from the time I was five, that was a thing that you have to do,” she said. “It’s kind of like a passion I have.”
The Pelican Lake Agricultural Society fundraises year-round to support the fair, with events like a social, an easter breakfast and egg hunt, and a teen dance.
The society is welcoming applicants to join the board of directors, and members said they are looking for extra team members for next year.
Registration for the Ag Olympics competition will be open until the competition starts today at 4 p.m, said Podworny. Contestants will be divided into divisions of 18+ years of age, 17 and under, and mixed.
»cmcdowell@brandonsun.com