Brussels Fall Fair returns with another enthusiastic installment
BY SCOTT STEPHENSON
Last week, as Huron East celebrated the 163rd edition of the Brussels Fall Fair (BFF), its three newest ambassadors were kept busy stewarding one of their community’s oldest agricultural traditions forward into the future.
The BFF’s 2026-2027 Ambassador Rowan Gaspirc, Junior Ambassador Sophia Blake and Little Ambassador Michaela Townsend got down to business when they officially opened the fair on Tuesday.
After a sold-out beef dinner, Gaspirc, Blake and Townsend creatively contributed to the financial future of their fair by decorating cakes with visiting dignitaries for the annual Brussels Agricultural Society (BAS) cake auction.
On Wednesday morning, the ambassadors were back in action, fulfilling the duty of their office by shepherding the annual BFF parade through the streets of Brussels. This year’s procession included three full busloads of students from North Woods Elementary School, along with some always-appreciated entrants from the Huronlea Home for the Aged.
With the prizes awarded and the parade winding through town, the procession eventually arrived at the Brussels, Morris and Grey Community Centre (BMGCC), the current home of the BFF and the latest chapter in Brussels’ long history of building places where agriculture, community and celebration can meet.
In 1861, the Grey Branch Agricultural Society offered 13 acres of show grounds to host the area’s first agricultural fair. In 1875, the East Huron Agricultural Society erected its first agricultural exhibition hall. By 1906, the modern East Huron Agricultural Hall, locally known as the “Crystal Palace,” was constructed to better showcase exhibitions and community events. In 1984, the BMGCC became the fair’s new home, and just a few years ago, Brussels residents helped raise more than $2 million to complement government funding for renovations that transformed the BMGCC into the accessible community facility it is today.
The building may have changed, but the purpose has remained constant - celebrating the bustling agricultural community, and bringing people together to show off what they have grown and made.
As agricultural and cultural advocates, Gaspirc, Blake and Townsend assisted with the children’s programming and took time to examine the homecraft exhibits, where this year’s “Grow It, Sew It, Show It” theme was displayed in full force.
One of the enduring pillars of the BFF is its 4-H livestock show. While the BFF ambassadors always attend the competition in their official capacity, this year, both Blake and Townsend waded into the fray by entering the sheep-showing competition themselves, to great success.
The BFF sticks close to its roots - it’s still a mid-week community fair, run by donation, with the traditional main street parade, homecrafts competition and livestock show among its biggest attractions. And with dynamic ambassadors like Gaspirc, Blake and Townsend ready to carry them forward, those traditions appear to be in very good hands.