Wever officially bows out as Russell Fair board president

That was one of the points made by Theresa Wever who bowed out Friday night (Jan. 29) as president during the annual meeting of the Russell Agricultural Society which sponsors the fair.

Along with Tony Baas as 2010 president, Bert Vedder as 1st vice-president, and Chris Olney as treasurer, Wever will remain on the board as immediate past president.

On hand for the occasion were Russell Township Mayor Ken Hill, Glengarry-Prescott-Russell MPP Jean-Marc Lalonde, and Metcalfe’s Meredith Brophy, co-president of the Ontario Association of Agricultural Societies, all of whom spoke of the importance of the Russell Fair to the municipality and to the counties as a whole.

Although 2010 township budget discussions are only in the early stages, Hill said an annual grant to the society of $5,000 - $10,000 is likely to be preserved.

Along with revenues from the fair itself, the annual curling Bonspiel, Ladies Night and Canada Day, the township donation helped keep the society well in the black in 2009. As reported by Olney, net revenues were more than $44,300 last year compared to close to $86,000 in 2008, a difference explained by an influx of grants received for 150th anniversary celebrations.

A highlight of 2009, Wever said, was finalizing the purchase of a property adjacent to the fairgrounds, not only giving the society extra land, but a new, dry storage barn for chairs, tables and other items. The added parcel became the staging ground for the elephant on exhibit at last fall’s fair.

Something to look forward to this year, she said, is a new agricultural society office in the expanded Russell Curling Club building.

During the meeting, the society presented a special annual award to long-time volunteers Eric and Beth Ruiter.

In reflecting upon the past year, Wever said she continues to be amazed on how much the annual fair means to the community. While the society’s main mandate is to foster the area’s agricultural roots and to educate residents about the importance of the industry, the fair is also becoming a major tourism driver which “gives us a unique status and responsibility.”

Noting that many of those active with the Russell Fair today got involved as children through parental nudging, Wever said the current custodians have to keep the vision alive and continue to nudge the next generation so the fair will remain “strong, vibrant and sustainable.”

In referring to the importance of family support to fair board members, she noted that she was joining her husband in the ranks of past presidents: “We can both now talk about when I was president… and watch people’s eyes roll as if it was a lifetime ago.”