The Estevan Fair remains a popular event, even in the face of inclement weather that blew right into its midst on the second of the three days it took place, on June 20, 21 and 22.
“We were lucky there. Monday was absolutely excellent, and it was our highest attendance on that day,” said Byron Stepp, president of the Estevan Exhibition Association. “Tuesday, the storm kind of held off until 7:36 or some goofy time like that. We still had a pretty good day on Tuesday.”
Stepp said that attendance numbers for the fair, in its entirety, were in line with those of the previous year’s event, with around 7,500 people showing up to enjoy the rides, carnival games, entertainment and food. He noted that attendance and ticket purchases for the rides did take a hit during Tuesday evening’s messy weather, but overall, the association was pleased with the turnout this year.
“We get a lot of people from Estevan and the surrounding area, and what really helped was the Calamity Cowgirls being there. They drew in people from Kennedy, Kipling and all over the place,” said Stepp in a call with the Mercury. “The Calamity Cowgirls were a drawing card for our fair, and the people who saw them, of course, stuck around, and enjoyed the live entertainment and beer gardens.”
Stepp sung high praises of the Calamity Cowgirls, noting that they were popular, punctual and got their horses put away just before the rain started on Tuesday evening.
Stepp said new additions to this year’s fair included new food booths, such as the ice cream truck, and concessions that had offerings like homemade fudge, hempseed cookies and other unique treats.
“There were different dessert-type ideas this year, and that was a nice addition,” said Stepp.
He noted the fair brought in a few new rides to keep things interesting — something it does every year it comes to the Energy City. Going forward, he said the Estevan Exhibition Association’s board is looking to “take this thing to the next level,” and add more rides to the fair’s offerings, in coming years.
“In the past, one of our big drawing cards was Estevan Idol. I don’t know whether that will or won’t be back, because that’s a big project,” said Stepp. “We’re throwing some ideas around about it.”
Some of those ideas include introducing more food-related events, such as a pie-eating competition or a barbecuing competition.
“We always want to make sure we thank (our) volunteers, whether they are ticket takers at the gates, cleanup crews, the security crew, the beer gardens crews and, of course, West Coast Amusement. They’ve all been fantastic to work with,” said Stepp. “We’re looking forward to growing bigger and better, and are always willing to hear some suggestions and ideas.”
