Brett Thoms
Shawville September 4, 2022
Long time Shawville Fair talent booker Ron Sparling was honoured at the fair Sunday afternoon.
Sundays at the fair are typically known as the day when Pontiac locals perform, so it was an appropriate day to honour the Campbell’s Bay native for his long career of supporting the fair.
The fair board took the stage to . . .
present Sparling with a plaque for his many years of service.
“I did what I did but really the directors and volunteers are the ones who should take the credit for the way the fair has been built over the last 25-30 years. They took the chance to spend the money and when maybe they were looking at rain, that tested you a bit last night,” joked Sparling about the threat that Saturday nights’ act Aaron Goodvin was going to be rained out, which luckily did not happen.
Sparling commented that the reputation the fair gained for treating acts well also helped him attract talent, which is a tradition that continues based on what he heard from Goodvin.
Sparling also reminisced about how he has attended the fair since he was a kid. “I didn’t go on the rides though because I was scared, ‘’ he joked. “The award means a lot to me because I’m from the area. I don’t get back to it often but i’m still from here.”
“Keep the fair going, keep building it”, concluded Sparling. Sparling also recognized his late wife, Laurie-Ann Sparling, for her contribution to the fair and Louis Lasalle, who Sparling said is the reason why the show always got started on time.
