2024 Brussels Fall Fair: President Reg Vinnicombe sees potential in arena renovations for fair
BY SHAWN LOUGHLIN
For Walton’s Reg Vinnicombe, this year’s Brussels Fall Fair is one of opportunity and a glimpse into the future and the endless possibilities offered up by a newly renovated and expanded Brussels, Morris and Grey Community Centre.
Vinnicombe led the society last year when the fair was held at the centre, but it was still very much under construction at the time. So, the Brussels Agricultural Society didn’t have access to all areas of the centre and things had to be augmented a bit. This year, the centre is ready, new and improved and Vinnicombe says it will be fun for volunteers to see what they can do with the space and how they can use it all to their advantage.
Vinnicombe is a relatively new member of the society, joining during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. After retiring from Johnston and Johnston in Guelph, the Walton-area man found he had more time on his hands and decided to give back through the society. He spoke with friend Monique Baan, who has been an active member of the group for years, and was convinced to give it a try.
It wasn’t long until there was a vacancy at the top and the society came calling, asking Vinnicombe if he wanted to be the president. Zoellyn Onn had stayed on for a third year to see the society through the pandemic, safely hosting parades in 2020 and 2021 and then a pared-down fair in 2022, held at the Four Winds Barn and other locations throughout the village, and it was now time for someone new to take the reins.
Vinnicombe says it has been great working with a group of dedicated and passionate volunteers that care so much about their fall fair. He is now in his second year at the helm of the storied organization, he said, but the help he has and the people he can lean on for knowledge have made the transition a smooth one.
Last year’s fair, he said, went quite well as far as he was concerned. But he expects that this year will be much better with all of the community centre building available to the fair.
He’s also encouraged by the three ambassadors who put their names forward to represent the Brussels Agricultural Society last month. While, in a perfect world, he would love to have a competition with many contestants, landing in a place with three eager, enthusiastic and engaging ambassadors - Sophia Blake as the Little Ambassador, Bridget McCallum as the Junior Ambassador and Emily Bieman at the Brussels Fall Fair Ambassador - is a good place to be, he said.
As for this year’s fair, he admits to not looking forward to one particular aspect of it more than another, but simply relishing the opportunity to show off the community, provide a forum for its residents to present their talents and skills to their neighbours and to be part of the continuum of rural-themed events that are so important to communities like Huron County.