Brussels Fall Fair shines for another year through parade, entries
BY SCOTT STEPHENSON
In Southwestern Ontario, the gradual onset of autumn heralds the advent of the harvest, and fall fair season follows. Among all these annual gatherings, the Brussels Fall Fair (BFF) has long stood as one of Huron County’s most-beloved celebrations of agriculture and art. Now in its 162nd year, the BFF proved last week that it is still a cornerstone of rural life, by proudly preserving tradition while presenting the town’s best field crops, flowers, photography, quilts, beef, vegetables, and so much more.
The BFF not just endures, it thrives. At its core, this fair is still all about what can be grown from the earth and shaped by the hand. And the amount of skill and talent one sees on display there is always impressive. It’s a gathering place where the fruits of our collective labour are shared and celebrated, and everybody is welcome to not just attend, but participate in the action.
The fair is one of the few in Ontario that still takes place mid-week, a nod to an older rural rhythm when markets, not weekends, determined the flow of time. That detail alone says much about the character of the event - it is proudly unhurried, community-focused and deeply aware of the land it serves.
Of course, Brussels doesn’t shy away from change - the fair these days features an inflatable playland and an escape room, as well as other modern amusements.
This year's theme, Overalls and Aprons, was interpreted with playful creativity across the fairgrounds. The exhibit hall swelled with hand-sewn garments, knitted wares, home baking and preserves, each lovingly displayed. Towering sunflowers, the sentinels of late summer, awaited judgment in one corner, while intricate quilting patterns told their threaded stories in another. The homecraft division shone particularly bright this year, from imaginative cake decorations to jars of jewel-toned jams, each a tiny preservation of the summer of 2025.
Outside, the parade wound through the streets of historic downtown Brussels, with tractors, floats, and marching groups decked out in denim and gingham. It was the kind of small-town procession where every face in the crowd knows at least one person in the lineup. One entry stood out in particular: the residents and staff of Huronview and Huronlea Homes for the Aged, who donned co-ordinated overalls and aprons to bring the theme to life. Their effort was rewarded with the prize for Best Themed Entry - a well-earned honour!
Few events capture that fall fair spirit as vividly as the 4-H Beef and Sheep Show, a highlight once again this year. Young handlers moved confidently alongside their animals, the result of months of training, early mornings, and quiet care. It’s here that the future of agriculture walks on two legs beside the four-legged in an unspoken partnership of pride and purpose. Some of this year’s entries were truly stunning examples of their breeds.
Little Ambassador Kendry Noble made her hometown parade as an Ambassador debut in style, waving to onlookers from a pink convertible. She was joined at the fair by newly-crowned Brussels Fair Ambassador Alycia Coultes and Junior Ambassador Alison Van Nes. The fair also welcomed a special guest, Lexi Johnston of Listowel, who was recently named the Canadian National Exhibition's Ambassador of the Fairs. Her presence underscored the vital role young people continue to play in preserving and evolving the agricultural traditions of rural Ontario.
If Huron County’s youth truly is its most important crop, then the 2025 BFF proves that Brussels has been having some very productive growing seasons of late. This fair stands as proof that while seasons change, the values that root a community - hard work, hospitality and a respect for the land - remain ever visible in rural Ontario.