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35-516: The fair occurs annually on the weekend before Thanksgiving , and is attended by upwards of 80,000 people annually. Approximately 3,000 exhibitors enter more than 12,000 items, which are judged and put on display during the fair. Promoting excellence through competition in this way makes fairs unique in comparison to other events. Agricultural societies used to meet on a regular basis to discuss various concepts of agricultural improvement such as livestock development and increased grain yields. Often

70-803: A farmers market is set up along Robinson Street just west of Main Street. The market features local products and live entertainment and runs every Saturday from 8am to 1pm from May to October. Markham Village is home to one of York Region's oldest schools. Opened as SS #17 in 1846 (later as SS #15), it became Markham Village Public School in 1886 and currently as Franklin Street Public School since early 1960s. Public transit options are mostly limited by major arterial roads serving Markham Village: There are two routes serving both Markham and Mount Joy GO Stations: Three routes provides transit to students during school year with limited runs weekdays in

105-434: A library (c. 1981 and renovated 2009), community rooms (above rink) and indoor ice rink (c. 1963 with rink seating for 450 originally for hockey and now home to skating club). and drop off recycling centre. The community centre is configured on a north-south axis, where as the old Agricultural Hall was east-west with much of it now occupied by the current day parking lot. In the southwest corner of Markham Road and Highway 7

140-537: A neighbourhood of Markham) in 1855. The fair attracted farm participation from east section of York County based loosely on the York East (provincial electoral district) (East York, Scarborough, Markham, Whitchurch). In 1865 Captain William Armstrong granted 5 acres (2.0 ha) of his land for the fairgrounds to build several buildings (grandstand, track, stalls, ice rink, exhibition hall) including

175-610: A population of 3397 compared to 3418 in 2006 (Census/NHS 2011, Census 2006). This decrease in population is likely due to aging demographics and the lack of major new developments in the area. Markham Village Community Centre is located on the southeast corner of Main Street Markham and Highway 7 (Side Road Allowance). It was the former site of the Markham Fair and (William Armstrong's and later Robert Goodfellow Armstrong's) Wellington Hotel. The community centre features

210-528: A showcase for talents and products in a friendly competitive spirit. As well as the competitive displays, the community is further brought together to enjoy various forms of entertainment such as horse and tractor pulls , a demolition derby , midway rides , and displays of farm animals. The 2020 Markham Fair was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic . This marked the Fair's third period of cancellation, as it

245-406: A single floor agricultural hall. A new two floor hall, ticket office and rink was planned in 1894 and in 1916 a fire destroyed those buildings and were later replaced with a larger Agricultural Hall (Crystal Palace) to house the fair. The massive brick 220 feet (67 m) by 74 feet (23 m) rink would serve as an early recreation centre. In 1963 the fair buildings were demolished to make way for

280-444: A town. As the name implies, Markham Village was the city's original downtown , but being small and becoming largely relegated to being a community node near the far eastern part of the amalgamated municipality as urbanization progressed over the years, the city decided a larger, more centrally-located downtown was needed. The new downtown began development in the early 2010's southwest of Unionville. As of 2011, Markham Village has

315-523: Is an Ontario corporation that owns and operates the fair and its properties. It is governed by a board of 24 directors, who are elected at each annual meeting for a three-year period, and six junior directors (between the ages of 18 and 26) who are elected annually for a one-year period. All directors are elected by members of the society who attend the annual meeting. From among the directors, the President (Chair) and two vice-presidents are elected following

350-516: Is the Markham Cenotaph. The area is used for annual Remembrance Day ceremonies. Built in 1981 by Phillip Carter, the current memorial was re-vamped (2017-2018) with a new Veterans Square and Cenotaph which features an obelisk-like cenotaph and dedicated to the men and women who fought for Canada's freedom. An earlier memorial by Rebecca Sisler (c. 1967) was moved indoors into the community centre in 1996. From early May to early October

385-486: Is the historic town centre of Markham , Ontario , Canada. Originally settled in 1825, the village, which was originally named Reesorville (in reference to the Reesor family of settlers) sometime after 1804 and also known as Mannheim (likely after Mannheim, Germany ), was founded by Mennonites from Upstate New York and Pennsylvania . Eventually, as Upper Canada (now Ontario) started to experience immigration from

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420-758: The American Revolution , American refugees who remained loyal to Great Britain moved from the newly independent United States to the provinces that would later unite as the Dominion of Canada, such as Nova Scotia and the Province of Quebec . They brought the customs and practices of the American Thanksgiving to Canada, such as the turkey, pumpkin, and squash. Lower Canada and Upper Canada observed Thanksgiving on different dates; for example, in 1816, both celebrated Thanksgiving for

455-611: The Atlantic provinces of Prince Edward Island , Newfoundland and Labrador , Nova Scotia and New Brunswick . Companies that are regulated by the federal government , such as those in the telecommunications and banking sectors, recognize the holiday everywhere. As a liturgical festival, Thanksgiving corresponds to the British and continental European harvest festival , with churches decorated with cornucopias , pumpkins , corn, wheat sheaves, and other harvest bounty. While

490-528: The British Isles , Markham would experience significant growth. By 1825, the name "Markham" was established as the permanent name. In 1850, it was established as a police village , and in 1873 was fully incorporated as a village within York County . Markham was amalgamated with the surrounding Markham Township, which included the villages of Unionville and Thornhill in 1971, and incorporated as

525-693: The Canadian Football League has usually held a nationally televised doubleheader , the Thanksgiving Day Classic . It is one of two weeks in which the league plays on Monday afternoons, the other being the Labour Day Classic . Many communities in Canada hold events in the week prior to, and/or on the day of the holiday. For example, the Markham Fair is an annual agricultural and harvest festival held during

560-513: The Markham Village Cenotaph and Community Centre (including indoor ice rink). In 1977 the Fair relocated to its current site where the four-day fair is held annually on the weekend preceding Thanksgiving. The Markham Village Library was built in 1980-1981 (on land bought by the then Town of Markham in 1975) now occupies the site of the old fairgrounds and mimics the barrel vault design of the old Agricultural Hall. The society

595-579: The Order of Good Cheer and held feasts with their First Nations neighbours, at which food was shared. After the Seven Years' War ended in 1763, with New France handed over to the British, the citizens of Halifax held a special day of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving days were observed beginning in 1799 but did not occur every year. The 1799 Thanksgiving was held to commemorate the military victory of British North America "over its enemy". During and after

630-682: The Fair operating procedures. Other Canadian annual fairs Thanksgiving (Canada) Thanksgiving ( French : Action de grâce ) or Thanksgiving Day ( French : Jour de l'Action de grâce ), is an annual Canadian holiday held on the second Monday in October. Outside the country, it may be referred to as Canadian Thanksgiving to distinguish it from the American holiday of the same name and related celebrations in other regions . Thanksgiving has been officially celebrated as an annual holiday in Canada since November 6, 1879. While

665-698: The actual Thanksgiving holiday is on a Monday, Canadians may gather for their Thanksgiving feast on any day during the long weekend; however, Sunday is considered the most common. Foods traditionally served at Thanksgiving include roasted turkey , roast beef , ham , stuffing , mashed potatoes with gravy , sweet potatoes , cranberry sauce , sweet corn , various autumn vegetables (including various kinds of squashes , but also Brussels sprouts ), pumpkin pie , apple pie , and glazed yams . Various regional dishes and desserts may also be served, including salmon, wild game, Jiggs dinner with split-pea pudding, butter tarts , and Nanaimo bars . In Canadian football ,

700-419: The annual meeting, along with a Treasurer, General Manager, and Secretary. The mission of the society is to encourage an awareness of agriculture and to promote improvements in the quality of life of persons living in an agricultural community by: In addition, there are over 750 volunteers involved with the operations, which fill the board seats and form some 75 committees, which share administrative duties and

735-614: The building materials, was to prevent him from doing so. The expedition was plagued by ice and freak storms, which at times scattered the fleet; on meeting again at their anchorage in Frobisher Bay, "...  Mayster Wolfall , a learned man, appointed by Her Majesty's Counsel to be their minister and preacher, made unto them a godly sermon, exhorting them especially to be thankful to God for their strange and miraculous deliverance in those so dangerous places ...". They celebrated Holy Communion and, "The celebration of divine mystery

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770-579: The date initially being a Thursday in November. After World War I , an amendment to the Armistice Day Act established that Armistice Day and Thanksgiving would, starting in 1921, both be celebrated on the Monday of the week in which November 11 occurred. Ten years later, in 1931, the two days became separate holidays, and Armistice Day was renamed Remembrance Day . From 1931 to 1957, the date

805-507: The date varied by year and was not fixed, it was commonly the second Monday in October. On January 31, 1957, the Governor General of Canada Vincent Massey issued a proclamation stating: "A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed – to be observed on the second Monday in October." Thanksgiving is a statutory holiday in most of Canada, and an optional holiday in

840-643: The duration of the fair. In previous years these shows have included: A number of local events use the fairgrounds outside of the fair days including home shows, trade shows and warehouse sales. World's Finest Shows runs the midway located at the West Gate of the fairgrounds. The earliest recorded fair held in Markham was in 1857 at the fairgrounds then located on the southeast corner of Main and Wellington Streets (now Main Street Markham and Highway 7 ). Prior to that, fairs were held in nearby Unionville (today

875-405: The east of the fairgrounds is Little Rouge Creek . The original fairground was located at the present day Markham Village Library at southeast corner of Main Street and Highway 7 (farmland of Robert Goodfellow Armstrong and Wellington Hotel ). The fair moved to the current site in 1977, as the original fairground area grew less agricultural. The current library building was built to mimic

910-539: The morning and afternoon: Markham GO Station is the only stop on the Stouffville line within Markham Village. GO bus routes 54, 70A, 70C, 71C, 71E also has limited service to the station. Markham Santa Claus Parade has been held in Markham Village in the month of November since 1972. The parade route begins just east of Main Street on Highway 7 and runs north along Main Street to 16th Avenue. The parade

945-767: The safe landing of Martin Frobisher 's fleet in Newfoundland after an unsuccessful attempt in search of the Northwest Passage . His third voyage, to the Frobisher Bay area of Baffin Island in the present Canadian territory of Nunavut , set out with the intention of starting a small settlement. His fleet of fifteen ships was outfitted with men, materials, and provisions. However, the loss of one of his ships through contact with ice, along with many of

980-578: The shape of the old Agricultural Hall that once stood at the site (along what is now Highway 7 on the south side from Washington Street to Jerman Street). A fire in 1916 burned down the new hall, ice rink and other buildings (barns). Only the rink was rebuilt (years later in 1963) on the site and currently part of the Markham Village Community Centre . The area where the track once sat are now homes with Reeves Park along Main Street. Many shows and events are showcased throughout

1015-474: The society would collectively purchase a bull or seed grain, which would be made available to members only. The fall fair would then be an opportunity for the farmers to compete by showing off the fruits of their labour. Due to increased technology and rapid communication, agricultural societies no longer find it necessary to provide this service, but the Markham Fair continues to provide the community with

1050-569: The termination of the War of 1812 between France, the U.S. and Great Britain, with Lower Canada marking the day on May 21 and Upper Canada on June 18 ( Waterloo Day ). In 1838, Lower Canada used Thanksgiving to celebrate the end of the Lower Canada Rebellion . Following the rebellions, the two Canadas were merged into a united Province of Canada , which observed Thanksgiving six times from 1850 to 1865. During this period, Thanksgiving

1085-522: The weekend before Thanksgiving, Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest holds an annual parade consisting of floats, civic figures in the region, local performance troupes and marching bands, and Fort Langley holds a widely attended neighbourhood festival celebrating the cranberry harvest, in which local crafts, produce, and artisan goods are sold. According to some historians, the first celebration of Thanksgiving in North America occurred in 1579 after

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1120-502: Was a solemn, mid-week celebration. The first Thanksgiving Day after Confederation was observed as a civic holiday on April 5, 1872, to celebrate the recovery of the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII ) from a serious illness. For many years before it was declared a national holiday in 1879, Thanksgiving was celebrated in either late October or early November. From 1879 onward, Thanksgiving Day has been observed every year,

1155-741: Was also cancelled in 1917 and 1918 due to World War I and from 1942 to 1944 due to World War II . The 2021 Fair was held but required prepurchased tickets and physical distancing by means of one way walk through fairgrounds. Food vendors were available near the exit but there was no midway. The fairgrounds are located in northern Markham at the northeast corner of McCowan Road and Elgin Mills Road and sits on 104 acres (42 ha) of former farm land (once farmed by Jonathan 'John' Williamson) and Stuart and Trevor Watson. The site has several buildings used to house trade shows and other events. A 1/2-mile track and 4 wood stables are used to store animals. To

1190-589: Was set by proclamation, generally falling on the second Monday in October, except for 1935, when it was moved due to a general election. In 1957, Parliament fixed Thanksgiving as the second Monday in October. The theme of the Thanksgiving holiday also changed each year to reflect an important event to be thankful for. In its early years, it was for an abundant harvest and occasionally for a special anniversary. Markham Village, Ontario#Veterans Square and Cenotaph Markham Village ( 2006 population 6,090)

1225-579: Was the first sign, scale, and confirmation of Christ's name, death and passion ever known in all these quarters." (The notion of Frobisher's service being first on the continent has come into dispute, as Spaniards conducted similar services in Spanish North America during the mid-16th century, decades before Frobisher's arrival. ) Years later, French settlers , having crossed the ocean and arrived in Canada with explorer Samuel de Champlain , from 1604, also held feasts of thanks. They formed

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