Beaumont and District Agricultural Society celebrating 30 years

The Beaumont and District Agricultural Society is celebrating its 30th year of serving the community of Beaumont and area.

Emily Jansen
May 10, 2019  •  May 10, 2019  •  2 minute read
File photos This year will be the fourth annual Rural Roots Fair hosted by the Beaumont and District Agricultural Society.

The Beaumont and District Agricultural Society is celebrating its 30th year of serving the community of Beaumont and area.

Incorporated in January of 1990, the Beaumont Agricultural Society (BADAS), was designed as a not for profit community development group, and has been a keystone of the community ever since.

“The Ag society was very common in small communities at that point,” commented Jim Hiley, who moved with his family to Beaumont almost 30 years ago and has been a part of BADAS almost since its beginnings. “It was kind of the avenue into the farm community and in urban areas it was more through the gardening and horticulture.”

“When there was community events we would pitch in … volunteering and running events.”

In 2000, the society purchased the Ag Society fairgrounds in order to expand society activities and offer its own facilities.

“We all kind of came to the same feeling that if we had our own land base, we could have more control over the kinds of things that we could off and facilities that we could add to the community,” Hiley said.

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The fairgrounds today are home to the Equine Cross Country Course, the Gerry Patsula community garden and the Gobeil Heritage Barn, currently under renovation. The fairgrounds are also open each summer to host annual Beaumont events such as Town and Country Daze activities and the Rural Roots Fair.

Even though Beaumont has been growing rapidly in the past 30 years and has become more urbanized, Hiley believes the society has remained a strong part of keeping the community tight-knit.

“We really over the years have shown that there is a huge value for agricultural societies in urbanizing areas, particularly with the community gardens and so on. People just really appreciate that opportunity to get out and meet other people from the community,” Hiley remarked. “People are finding all these different ways to contribute to the community. That in itself is really satisfying.”

This summer, BADAS will host the Beaumont Clinic and Derby on May 18-19 at the fairgrounds, as well as its fourth annual Rural Roots Fair on Aug. 24-25. The society will also be involved with the annual Town and Country Daze parade on June 15.

Information on the Beaumont Agricultural Society and its upcoming events can be found on the society website at www.beaumontagsociety.com

ejansen@postmedia.com