Having just read the article “COVID-19 scales back Saanich Fair” in your May 21st issue, I can sympathize with Cara Knight and many others who have made the Saanich Fair part of their lives each year – both attending it, and participating in its activities.
The decision not to hold the fair “in its traditional manner because of the COVID-19 pandemic for the first time in 152 years” must have been extremely difficult.
The tradition of the fair is and has been, a very important part of the community’s social makeup since its inception. The society’s president Dave Hamer and the other directors have had to make a difficult decision, and I must commend them for doing so on their watch. I would like to assure them that they made the right decision at a very difficult time.
There have been previous difficult decisions made regarding the fair in the past. Probably the most significant was made in September 1914, when the fair was cancelled because of the outbreak of the First World War. The three local newspapers reported that the cancelling of the fair would result in difficult financial conditions for the society which they would have to deal with.
Sounds familiar as today. They survived, and they will again. Move forward, and be safe, so we all can attend again.
Brad R. Morrison
Central Saanich
